In her vibrant and dynamic artworks, Beatriz Milhazes builds upon European and Brazilian Modernism (Antropofagia) as well as Baroque art, creating a unique language of color and form. Figo’s multilayered relief-printed surface contributes to its compositional energy. The print required an incredible 109 runs through the printing press. It features screen-printed and block-printed colors—some added with found Indian textile-printing blocks—as well as blind embossing, which adds texture but not color.
Figo, with its combination of florid and geometric forms suggesting lush foliage and flashing lights, may evoke Milhazes’s native Rio de Janeiro.
Prior to entering the Museum collection, an impression of this print was on view in Color & Complexity: 30 Years at Durham Press. This work was purchased with the Society of the Arts Print Fund in 2022 in memory of the first SOTA president, Rusty Young.
Beatriz Milhazes (Brazilian, 1960), Figo, 2007, Woodblock and screen print on Hiromi handmade Kozo triple thick paper. Allentown Art Museum: purchase: SOTA Print Fund, in Memory of First SOTA President Rusty Young, 2022.