Constructivist Composition 1943
Oil on canvas 26 x 30"
Gift of Nelson Rockefeller

 



This painting is characteristic of the style of Constructive Universalism developed by pioneer artist Torres-Garcia. It reflects the artist's passion, in his words, for "geometry, order, synthesis, construction and rhythm." A gridded ideogram-like structure, often based on the proportions of the Golden Section, is made up of compartment-like rectangles. Within each cell there are different signs that have a strong linguistic quality and relate to autobiographical, mathematical, spiritual, or metaphysical concerns. Within his fairly well defined repertory of signs and symbols, there are frequent references to the pre-Hispanic world including ideas about the relationship of man to the cosmos.

Torres-Garcia saw the function of the Latin American artist as one of recovering the ancestral dignity of the rich pre-Columbian tradition in order to create a uniquely South American art.
Biography
in the collection
Writings by the artist
Permanent Collection