figure 1. Left to right: Geraldo de Barros, Concreto (1953), 49.2 x 71 cm, © Lenora and Fabiana de Barros; Lygia Clark, Planos em superfície modulada no. 5 (1957) 79.8 x 70 cm. © «The World of Lygia Clark» Cultural Association, http://www.lygiaclark.org.br; Judith Lauand, Variação de quadrados (1957) 60.3 x 60.3 cm. © Judith Lauand. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Adolpho Leirner Collection of Brazilian Constructive Art, museum purchases funded by the Caroline Wiess Law Accessions Endowment Fund
To harness the power of scientific investigation to provide insights into Brazilian Concrete and Neo-concrete works, analysis of pigments, binders and stratigraphy of paint application in samples taken from Alfredo Volpi, Lygia Clark and Hélio Oiticica works in the Adolpho Leirner Collection of Constructive Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) and of historic Hélio Oiticica studio paints loaned to the museum by Projecto Hélio Oiticica was undertaken. The results to date emphasize the varied means by which this group of artists chose to achieve their desired aesthetic and often reveal a high degree of technical complexity and artistic craftsmanship.
ZZ Alfredo Volpi Alfredo Volpi (1896-1988) trained in painting at an early age through apprenticeship as a decorative mural painter. The aesthetic of that craft, with matte surfaces and relatively simple forms, would influence him throughout his life. He liked to portray himself as a naïve and somewhat child-like painter, and at first glance the seemingly simple compositions of the four paintings in the Leirner Collection substantiate that claim (Image 2). However, a close examination of his materials and the complex nature of their application belies that superficial impression.
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