
Composition
<p>The many colorful patterns seen in Maria Helena Vieira da Silva's abstract painting <em>Composition</em> derive from <em>azulejo</em>, decorative ceramic tilework common in Portugal and Spain, which the artist collected and admired. Despite finding her inspiration for abstract paintings in the material world, she described her compositions as evoking "a thought form rather than a realistic form." Vieira da Silva insisted on the merits of abstraction even as the political situation in 1930s Europe seemed to demand artworks with a clear political message. She actively engaged in debates with the leftist intellectual group Amis du Monde on the political risks and merits of painting abstractly at this moment.</p>
Catalogue
- Year
- 1936
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 81.6 × 100.7 cm (32 1/8 × 39 5/8 in.)
- Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
Artist

Painting
Maria Helena Vieira da Silva was a Portuguese abstract painter. She was considered a leading member of the European abstract expressionism movement known as Art Informel. Her works feature complex interiors and city views using lines that explore space and perspective. She also worked in tapestry and stained glass.
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More by Maria Helena Vieira da Silva
Fronton
1971 · Color lithograph on ivory wove paper
Blue, White, Black
1971 · Color lithograph on ivory wove paper
Nef
1971 · Color lithograph on ivory wove paper
Garden
1971 · Color lithograph on ivory wove paper
Les Jardins No.2
1966 · Gouache on handmade gray wove paper with white and black fibers
Unreal Construction
1965 · Gouache on blue wove paper
Record
Verified by WattsOS- Year
- 1936
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 81.6 × 100.7 cm (32 1/8 × 39 5/8 in.)
- Watts ID
- WW-1936-029514
Source
- Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Source
- aic
- Reference
- View at source
- Status
- verified





