Battlefield 31

Primary Antônio Henrique Amaral (São Paulo, Brazil, 1935–2015)

NationalityBrazilian, South America

Date1974

MediumOil on canvas

DimensionsFramed: 36 3/4 x 48 3/4 in. (93.3 x 123.9 cm)
Canvas: 36 x 48 1/16 in. (91.5 x 122 cm)

Credit LineBlanton Museum of Art, The University of Texas at Austin, Archer M. Huntington Museum Fund, P1975.21.1

Keywords

still life

Rights Statement

IN COPYRIGHT - EDUCATIONAL USE PERMITTED

Collection AreaLatin American Art

Object numberP1975.21.1

On View

Not on view

Label Text

Web Comments

Following the 1964 military coup in Brazil, many artists left that country for New York. Antonio Henrique Amaral arrived there in 1973, earning fame with his iconic depictions of bananas, which he represented frequently in diverse configurations between 1968 and 1975. Amaral’s Battlefield series consists of 35 paintings of bananas in varying stages of decay. Usually violated by ropes, forks, or knives, this imagery was often read as a metaphor the social body under duress during the repressive Brazilian dictatorship (1964–1985). Vaguely disturbing, Battlefield 31 contains only traces of the fruit’s tender flesh on the tines of monumental forks, which appear to close inward like the bars of a jail cell. Yet, the title suggests that these are uncannily animated, commonplace objects caught doing battle in the eerie twilight. Amaral’s deadpan realistic style links him to contemporary American Pop art. Nevertheless, his coded denunciations of a torturous political system are far removed from fascination with consumer culture.

Exhibitions

Latin American Artists in New York Since 1970