ABSTRACT
The work of Maria Helena Vieira da Silva emerged during the out-of-phase period of the second movement of Portuguese modernism. Abstract expressionism led to a deep radicalization of these issues as it abandoned the lyricism adopted by Vieira da Silva and the Jeune Ecole de Paris. Vieira da Silva was the only Portuguese artist of the twentieth century who participated directly in the growth of international modern art movements. Vieira da Silva's works demonstrate a great harmony among elements defined by linear drawing and an un-nuanced, homogeneous chromaticism. Vieira da Silva's references range from the painters of Siena, such as Simone Martini, to the questions concerning colour and drawing raised by Matisse. The art of Paul Klee, with which Vieira da Silva became familiar from 1933, was based on theories relating to the visible and to questions of form suggested by the relationship between the different elements of painting.
