Pictured: “A Negra” by Tarsila do Amaral. 1923. Oil on canvas. 39 3/8 x 32 in. (100 x 81.3 cm). Museo de Arte Contemporânea de Universidade de São Paulo.
“She experimented with Cubism, and she kind of said, ‘You know, I understand it. It’s not for me,'” said James Rondeau, the director of the Art Institute of Chicago.
“She called it her ‘military service’?” said CBS News’ Faith Salie.
“Exactly. It was obligatory, right? She was aware of a responsibility, an ambition, a desire to somehow represent Brazil – to be a fundamentally Brazilian artist.”