The “Reclining Woman” series is part of one of the most consistent thematic cores in Manuel Pereira da Silva's production: the investigation of the female figure as a sculptural form. The artist's work is characterized by an abstract orientation inspired by the human figure, particularly the representation of men and women, progressively developing a language that oscillates between figuration and abstraction.
Although the individual works in the series are not widely documented in accessible publications, analysis can be carried out based on the recurring formal and conceptual characteristics of his production.
The Meaning of the Reclining Figure
In the history of art, the reclining figure has a long tradition, from classical sarcophagi to modern sculpture. The horizontal position allows the artist to explore formal relationships impossible in the upright figure.
In Manuel Pereira da Silva's work, the reclining woman ceases to be merely a body at rest. The posture becomes a plastic problem.
The sculptor's interest focuses on:
• continuity of lines;
• balance of volumes;
• occupation of space;
• dialogue between curves and masses.
The figure seems to expand horizontally, creating a more intimate relationship with the surrounding space.
Formal Simplification
One of the most striking aspects of the series is the purification of anatomy.
The artist gradually eliminates:
• anatomical details;
• individual characteristics;
• narrative references.
As a result, the female body becomes a construction of essential forms.
The contours frequently feature:
• smooth curves;
• compact volumes;
• continuous surfaces;
• fluid transitions between body parts.
This simplification brings the series closer to the investigations of international modern sculpture, without losing the reference to the human figure.
Between Figuration and Abstraction
The Reclining Woman series constitutes one of the best examples of the intermediate position that characterizes Pereira da Silva's work.
The observer clearly recognizes the presence of a female body. However, this recognition does not depend on naturalistic description.
Abstraction emerges as an instrument of synthesis.
The sculptor seeks to reveal:
• the internal rhythm of the form;
• the structural unity of the body;
• the harmony of volumes.
The woman ceases to be represented as an individual and transforms into a universal form.
Dialogue with Modern Sculpture
The reclining figure was a central theme in the work of modern sculptors such as Henry Moore.
Like these artists, in Manuel Pereira da Silva's work the body is also understood as a landscape of volumes.
Sculpture ceases to reproduce anatomy to explore:
• cavities;
• spatial tensions;
• relationships between fullness and emptiness;
• organic continuity.
However, Manuel Pereira da Silva maintains a greater formal restraint. His figures generally retain a superior legibility to that found in the more radical experiments of European abstraction.
The Symbolic Dimension
The reclining woman can be interpreted in various ways.
The horizontal position suggests:
• rest;
• contemplation;
• serenity;
• intimacy;
• connection with nature.
There is no drama or narrative tension.
The figures seem suspended in a state of permanent equilibrium.
This serenity corresponds to a constant in the sculptor's work: the search for universal values associated with the human condition.
The Relationship with Space
In the sculptures of this series, space plays a fundamental role.
The reclining body generates a slower and more contemplative reading.
As the observer moves around the work, they discover successive relationships between:
• curved lines;
• volumetric masses;
• incidence of light;
• projected shadows.
The sculpture does not end in a frontal view. It develops three-dimensionally, revealing new formal configurations with each change of perspective.
Contemporary critical reading
A contemporary reading may raise questions about the representation of women as a universal symbol.
As in other modernist works of the 20th century, the female figure is often treated as an archetype rather than an individual subject.
From this point of view, it could be argued that the series favors an idealized view of femininity.
However, this approach corresponds to the artist’s aesthetic project. Its objective is not to represent concrete experiences of contemporary women, but to investigate the formal and symbolic possibilities of the human figure.
Conclusion
The “Reclining Woman” series represents one of the most successful moments in Manuel Pereira da Silva's sculptural investigation into the female figure. Through formal simplification, emphasis on volume, and an approach to organic abstraction, the artist transforms the female body into a plastic structure of great balance and serenity.
More than a representation of repose, these works constitute a reflection on the harmony between form, space, and the human condition. In them, the woman ceases to be merely an iconographic theme and becomes the organizing principle of a modern, essential, and profoundly humanist sculptural language.
