Emblema - 1972

Rubem Valentim’s artistic practice can be read within two distinct canons: as an arrangement of geometric forms in an abstract composition or as representa- tions of a spiritual world in which deities manifest as geometric forms. Those forms derive from Yorubá religious practices—predominant within the African diaspora in Brazil—in which deities are recognized by attributes expressed in geometric symbols. The symmetry and ascending aspect of the composition reinforces the idea of looking at an altarpiece. Paying tribute both to ancient religiousness and to modern aesthetics, Valentim explores the tides that connect the Americas, Africa, and the Western world.