Casa vermelha

In his long career, Di Cavalcanti worked in several fields of culture: he was a journalist, illustrator in some of the most important magazines of the early twentieth century in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo - such as "Panóplia", "Fon-fon! " and "The Mallet" - and one of the main articulators and participants of the Semana de Arte Moderna of 1922. The part of the production for which he became best known involves scenes of joy and festivities, in which the "mulatto" plays an important role. However, Di also portrayed marginalized figures, hill scenes and suburban characters, as in "Casa Vermelha", 1945. In the painting, the rudimentary house in the background and the simple robes of the three figures seem to indicate a peaceful and humble landscape, typical of some Brazilian cities in the first half of the last century. In 2017, when 120 years of his birth were completed, Pinacoteca presented a great retrospective exhibition curated by José Augusto Ribeiro: "No subúrbio da modernidade - Di Cavalcanti 120 anos."