Alfredo Volpi (1896-1988)

Galeria de Arte Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro
Private Collection, São Paulo 

São Paulo, Dan Galeria, A. Volpi, A transmutação pela cor, March-April, 2002, p. 55, illustrated in color

The edges of the work present some minor abrasions. Ultraviolet light examination revealed no sign of inpainting or repair. The work is numbered 232/067 on the reverse. Otherwise in very good condition.
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Nada mais presente na pintura de Volpi que as 'bandeirinhas". Elas já estavam lá antes de serem 'bandeirinhas". Desde as 'fachadas' da década de 50 elas já estavam lá, quando eram o 'negativo' dos telhados do casario. A 'bandeirinha' e o quadrado onde falta um triângulo. É um quadrado 'incompleto' que 'busca' um triângulo, que 'joga' com a falta do triângulo. Assim se explica muito do pensamento visual de Volpi, do seu raciocínio estruturante, 'analógico', 'positivo-negativo'. E se a bandeirinha real coincide com a 'bandeirinha' de Volpi, trata-se de mais uma prova do tipo de ativação que uma inteligência pictórica pode exercer sobre  uma forma visual popular com a qual coincide. 

Nothing is more present in a painting by Volpi than 'bandeirinhas' (little flags). They were already there before being 'bandeirinhas". Since the 'fachadas' of the decade of 1950s, they were already there as the 'negative' of houses roofs. The 'bandeirinha' is a square where a triangle is missing. It is an 'incomplete' square in 'search' of a triangle, it 'plays' with the lack of a triangle. This explains much of Volpi's visual thinking, his structured reasoning, 'analog', 'positive-negative'. And if a real life 'bandeirinha' coincides with a 'bandeirinha' by Volpi, this is further evidence of the type of activation that a pictorial intelligence can have on a popular visual form with which it coincides. 

Paulo Venancio Filho, Volpi, Galeria de Arte Ipanema, 2003