MASP

Djanira da Motta e Silva was born in Avaré, in the interior of the state of São Paulo, later moving to Rio de Janeiro, where she produced most of her work. There, she settled in Santa Teresa, where she lived with artists including Emeric Marcier (1916–1990), Maria Helena Vieira da Silva (1908–1992), and Milton Dacosta (1915–1988). According to Djanira, the verbs “to travel” and “to paint” described her destiny, and in her work it is possible to identify images from different Brazilian regions: from Rio de Janeiro’s landscapes and São Paulo’s coffee plantations to Bahia and the interior of the state of Maranhão. Representations of different Brazilian customs, peoples, beliefs, and cultures are important characteristics of her work, and are sometimes associated with a critical perception of society, reflecting the artist’s strong political engagement. Vendedora de flores indicates this desire for engagement, having a representation of childhood labor as its motif. The painting achieves a complex conjoining of different planes of reality. The humble and enlarged, barefoot figure is painted in the foreground, against the background of an urban landscape. The dynamism of the floral motif in the center of the canvas is in dialogue with a series of imaginary figures that orbit around the central figure. Angels, children, and a dog painted in luminous colors suggest the possibility of transcendence from the burden of child labor.

— Isabella Rjeille; Rodrigo Moura, 2020

---