Literature

Venice Biennale, 2024 entry for Untitled 1963:

Waldemar Cordeiro migrated to Brazil in 1946 and soon became the leader of the Concrete Art movement in São Paulo (1952–1959). Although Waldemar Cordeiro is better known for the radicalism with which he advocated for geometric abstraction devoid of subjectivity (achieved with industrial paint to eliminate traces of handmade brushstrokes), one of the most interesting moments in his artistic trajectory is the period of transition to the next phase of his art, when he would begin to add three- dimensional objects onto his paintings. Untitled (1963) was created during this brief transition. Here, the plus sign (+) and the multiplication sign (x), as well as the circles, are hand- painted on a solid green background. In this composition, he is no longer interested in demonstrating his skills in applying mathematics to construct optical illusions but rather he simply enjoys the pleasure of painting. Still using mathematical symbols, he creates a freehand pattern, where he simultaneously marks his presence and depicts a decorative image, both approaches he would once have found inconceivable.

This is the first time the work of Waldemar Cordeiro is presented at Biennale Arte.

—Regina Barros