The Geometric Abstraction series occupies a particular place in Manuel Pereira da Silva's production, mainly because it highlights the artist's more experimental aspect. Although he is primarily known for his sculpture, his drawings reveal the creative laboratory where he investigated forms, rhythms, and structures that could later be transposed into three-dimensionality. The artist himself considered drawing the basis of his creative process, exploring themes such as the human figure, motherhood, dance, and geometric abstractions.
Geometry as a language of synthesis
In the works of the Geometric Abstraction series, figurative representation disappears almost completely. Instead of identifiable bodies or explicit narratives, lines, planes, intersections, and visual rhythms emerge, organized according to a structural logic.
However, these compositions do not correspond to the rigorous geometric abstraction of the constructivist or mathematical tradition. Geometry in Manuel Pereira da Silva maintains an organic and intuitive dimension. Even when the human figure ceases to be recognizable, it remains as an underlying reference to the construction of forms.
Structure and Composition
One of the most interesting aspects of these works is the balance between order and freedom.
Frequently observed are:
• diagonal lines that create dynamic tension;
• intersections that suggest depth;
• fragmentation of space into multiple planes;
• rhythmic relationships between solids and voids;
• extreme simplification of visual elements.
The composition does not seek to represent an external object; it seeks to construct an autonomous reality based on the relationship between forms.
The observer's gaze is guided across the surface by a system of visual forces that creates movement without resorting to the representation of movement.
Relationship with Modernism
These works demonstrate the assimilation of 20th-century modernist languages.
It is possible to identify affinities with:
• Cubism, through structural fragmentation;
• Constructivism, through the valorization of geometry;
• Lyrical abstraction, through the freedom of line;
• European modern sculpture, through the search for formal synthesis.
However, Manuel Pereira da Silva does not fully adhere to any of these currents. His approach maintains a personal character, avoiding both the absolute rationalism of classical geometric abstraction and the gestural spontaneity of informal abstraction.
Drawing as Visual Thought
A fundamental characteristic of this series is its processual nature.
The works seem to function as investigations into formal possibilities. More than definitive results, they present themselves as exercises in visual discovery.
The use of simple means—often pencil or ballpoint pen on paper—reinforces this impression of continuous experimentation. Drawing emerges as a space of freedom where the artist tests relationships between lines, rhythms, and structures before the eventual transition to sculpture.
Poetic Dimension
Despite its seemingly rational title, Geometric Abstraction is neither a cold nor a mathematical work.
Geometry is used as an expressive instrument. The lines possess their own energy and establish relationships that evoke growth, tension, balance, or movement.
Therefore, critics have frequently identified in Manuel Pereira da Silva's work a humanist component that remains even in his most abstract compositions. Geometry does not eliminate emotion; it transforms it into a more essential visual language.
Critical evaluation
The main merit of the series is its ability to combine:
• structural rigor;
• creative freedom;
• formal synthesis;
• expressiveness.
The work demonstrates that abstraction, for Manuel Pereira da Silva, does not constitute an escape from reality, but a means of revealing deep structures that lie beyond visible appearance.
It can be argued that these compositions do not reach the radicalism of the geometric experiments of artists such as Piet Mondrian or Kazimir Malevich. However, its originality lies precisely in the refusal of a purely intellectual abstraction. Geometry remains linked to the human experience and the artist's sensitivity.
Conclusion
Geometric Abstraction represents one of the most refined expressions of Manuel Pereira da Silva's artistic language. In it, drawing is transformed into a field of formal investigation where the figure disappears to give way to structure, rhythm, and the relationship between forms. The series demonstrates how the artist was able to integrate the achievements of modernism without abandoning the humanist dimension that characterizes all his work, creating an abstraction that is simultaneously rigorous, sensitive, and poetic.
No comments:
Post a Comment