Anita Malfatti

In 1923, at the age of 33, Anita Malfatti resumed her training. With a scholarship – one usually intended for young artists – the already renowned artist was able to study in Paris. Other Brazilians such as Oswald de Andrade and Tarsila do Amaral were also in Paris at the time. Malfatti met artists such as Maurice Denis, who advised her, and was inspired by the work of Henri Matisse. The bold colours and rough painting style of her expressionist works now gave way to a more classical approach.

Malfatti remarked:

“Within a fortnight I was on board and began a series of calm and much more three-dimensional studies that would allow me to paint all my life without repeating the fireworks of the first innovative phase.”

In the 1920s, Malfatti painted numerous portraits in this more classical style, with restrained and natural colours, including several of Mário de Andrade. He was a poet, critic, folklorist and musicologist, and above all one of the most important protagonists of Brazilian modernism. Malfatti and Mario de Andrade shared a deep friendship, which found expression in their correspondence over many years.

Mário de Andrade began his career by studying piano, before specialising in singing and music theory. Early on, he travelled to the rural regions of Brazil, exploring the country’s diverse culture, folklore and, above all, its music. From 1922, he was part of the Group of Five together with Malfatti, Tarsila do Amaral, the poet and painter Menotti Del Picchia and Oswald de Andrade. In the same year, he organised the Semana de Arte Moderna – Modern Art Week – with a group of like-minded people. Mário de Andrade is considered to be one of the most important voices in modern Brazilian literature and modernism par excellence.