After World War II, avant-garde artists in Argentina and Brazil began to question the role of art in society. Intent on creating a new type of object, they rejected long-established traditions in painting—including all forms of representation— and pursued the possibilities of geometric abstraction.
They aimed to create artwork so precise in conception and execution that it formed its own material, or “concrete,” reality. In the 1940s and ‘50s, development programs in both countries spurred new industries and manufacturing techniques. In this context, Concrete artists (as they became known) began to experiment with novel formats, shapes constructions, and materials, including paint and supports intended for household or commercial use. They envisioned their art as a part of everyday life, which they hoped would be transformed according to Marxist principles.
Read more about the concrete artists of Argentina and Brazil.
This is the front and back of a 1946 painting by Raúl Lozza.
