“I see concrete art as a totally creative art. In both figurative and non-figurative art in general, I see two fundamentally opposing tendencies. One is the art of expression, in which a work expresses content, feelings, and emotions. The other is the art of creation, in which a work of art is seen as form.”

—Waldemar Cordeiro

The development of Concrete Art in Brazil was grounded in the 1952 Manifesto Ruptura [Rupture Manifesto], written by Waldemar Cordeiro. It called for a new art based on clear and intelligent principles, a distinct sense of rationality and order, pure forms, visual clarity, and dynamic interaction between form and color – rejecting all forms of naturalism, from Expressionism to Surrealism. In line with Gestalt principles, the whole is more important than the parts: it is the complete composition that engages the viewer’s senses, allowing the work to be absorbed through layered interpretation, from immediate visual impact to deeper emotional and cultural resonance.