MASP

The work of Antonio Henrique Amaral places itself in the context of the comeback to figuration that distinguished a whole generation of Brazilian artists in the 1960s, for whom this movement meant not only a resumption of the human figure, but also of the popular Brazilian imagery. His first works to be more recognized are a series of wood engravings, in which Amaral took appropriation of the engraving tradition of the Northeastern region of Brazil to represent scenes and characters of the country’s political life, with strong grotesque and caricatural tones. From 1967 on, Amaral started a long series of paintings representing gigantic bananas, perforated by forks or tied with ropes, like in Bananas and ropes 3. The fruits work as a metaphor to identity stereotypes regarding Brazil (Carmen Miranda [1909-1955]) or Latin America (“Banana Republic”), and as the Brazilian military dictatorship stiffened, they can also be understood as a symbol of the bodies of the opponents who were persecuted and tortured by the regime.

— MASP Curatorial Team, 2017

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