Landscape With Sixteen Houses

Tarsila Do Amaral’s Vision of Brazilian Modernism

Few works encapsulate the synthesis of European modernism and Brazilian identity as vividly as Tarsila Do Amaral’s Landscape With Sixteen Houses. Painted during a period when the artist sought to reconcile the geometric rigor of Cubism with the vibrant, sun-drenched landscapes of her homeland, this composition stands as a testament to her ability to transform everyday scenes into bold, almost architectural statements. The painting’s structured yet fluid arrangement of houses—each rendered in primary hues against a rolling green expanse—reflects Do Amaral’s engagement with the Tate’s definition of Modernism, where form and color become tools for cultural reinvention.

The work’s title, with its precise enumeration of dwellings, hints at the artist’s fascination with pattern and repetition, a hallmark of her mature style. Unlike her earlier, more literal depictions of Brazilian life, this landscape distills rural architecture into a rhythmic sequence of shapes, where the red roofs and white walls create a visual cadence. The absence of human figures shifts focus entirely to the built environment, inviting viewers to consider the relationship between nature and human intervention—a theme central to Do Amaral’s oeuvre during the 1920s and 1930s.

Do Amaral and the Pau-Brasil Movement

By the time Tarsila Do Amaral painted Landscape With Sixteen Houses, she had already become a central figure in Brazil’s Pau-Brasil movement, which sought to forge a distinctly national modernism. Unlike her European contemporaries, who often looked inward or to classical themes, Do Amaral turned her gaze to the rural and urban landscapes of Brazil, infusing them with a modernity that was both local and universal. This work belongs to a series where she abandoned the literal in favor of the symbolic, using simplified forms to evoke the essence of Brazilian life without resorting to folklore clichés.

The painting’s composition reflects her exposure to Fernand Léger’s mechanized figures and the purist aesthetics of Le Corbusier, yet its warm chromatic range—ochres, greens, and cobalt blues—remains unmistakably tied to the Brazilian terrain. As MoMA’s profile of the artist notes, Do Amaral’s work from this period often played with scale and perspective, flattening depth to emphasize the two-dimensional plane. Here, the houses appear almost like toys arranged on a tabletop, their uniformity broken only by subtle variations in size and placement.

Do Amaral’s Landscape With Sixteen Houses is less a depiction of place than a meditation on how memory and modernity intersect. The repetition of forms mirrors the rhythmic patterns of Brazilian music, translating visual harmony into something almost audible.

The Geometry of Rural Brazil

Composition: A Study in Repetition

The painting’s structure relies on a grid-like arrangement of the sixteen houses, each positioned with deliberate irregularity to avoid monotony. Do Amaral divides the canvas into horizontal bands—sky, hills, and foreground—while the houses themselves form vertical accents. This interplay creates a tension between stability and movement, a technique she likely absorbed from her studies with André Lhote in Paris. The largest house, positioned slightly off-center, anchors the composition, while the smaller dwellings radiate outward, guiding the viewer’s eye across the scene.

Color: Earth and Sky in Dialogue

The palette is restricted yet dynamic, dominated by the contrast between the terracotta roofs and the verdant hills. Do Amaral’s use of unmodulated color—applied in flat, even planes—eliminates shadows, reinforcing the painting’s abstract qualities. The sky, a pale gradient of blue, serves as a neutral backdrop, allowing the vibrant reds and greens to dominate. This approach reflects her belief, shared with the Pau-Brasil group, that Brazilian art should embrace “the colors of the tropics” without apology.

Where to Display Landscape With Sixteen Houses

This print’s geometric clarity and warm palette make it a versatile addition to contemporary interiors. The 30×40 cm (12×16") size suits a variety of spaces: above a mid-century modern sideboard in a living room, as a focal point in a minimalist entryway, or even in a home office where its structured composition can inspire creativity. Pair it with neutral walls—soft whites, warm grays, or even a muted terracotta—to let the artwork’s colors resonate. For a bolder statement, contrast it against deep navy or forest green, which will amplify the reds and greens in the houses.

Avoid overly ornate frames; the print’s clean lines demand a simple, modern frame (included) to maintain its architectural integrity. In open-plan spaces, position it at eye level where its rhythmic pattern can be appreciated from multiple angles. The painting’s rural subject matter also complements natural materials like wood and linen, making it ideal for Scandinavian or Japandi-inspired interiors.

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