Willys de Castro (1926-1988) - Untitled

The Objeto Ativo print (1962–1965) originated in Brazil as a silkscreen on cut and folded this cardboard, part of Willys de Castro’s Neoconcrete experiments. It transformed his painted and sculptural Objetos Ativos into a graphic, tridimensional format, challenging the traditional notion of prints as flat images.

Origin:
Date & Medium: Between 1962 and 1965, Willys de Castro created Objeto Ativo prints.
Technique: The prints were not flat images but constructed works, where folding and cutting emphasized tridimensionality.

Location: Produced in Brazil, where de Castro was active in São Paulo’s avant-garde art scene.
Movement: Rooted in the Neoconcrete movement (1959–1962), which sought to overcome the rigidity of geometric abstraction by introducing organic, participatory qualities into art.
Significance

These prints extended de Castro’s radical exploration of painting vs. sculpture into the realm of graphic art. They are considered seminal contributions to Brazilian Constructive Art, alongside contemporaries like Lygia Clark and Hélio Oiticica, who also blurred boundaries between art forms.
Today, examples of Objeto Ativo prints are preserved in collections and occasionally appear at auction, highlighting their importance in Latin American modernism.

Medium: Mixed Media

Colors the lanes color palette:
The print itself is cream colored - the middle piece: one half very dark blue and yellow - the other half bright orange and yellow.

Dimensions: 27 cm high, 18.5 cm wide - wide fully unfolded 27 cm - colored center piece 27x5 cm.

Condition: minor signs of wear

Photo's have been taken by the right lighting with a macro lens and are part of the object description.