Artwork
Title unknown (BRUT 300 TSF)
Title unknown (BRUT 300 TSF) is an unspecified painting by the Futurist artist Amadeo de Souza Cardoso. It dates from 1917 and is held in the collection of the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum.
About this work
Overview
Amadeo de Souza‑Cardoso painted *BRUT 300 TSF* in 1917, a work that aligns with the Futurist impulse to capture motion and mechanized modernity. Executed while the artist was active in both Paris and his native Manhufe, the canvas now resides in the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum’s permanent collection.
Subject & Meaning
The composition assembles a vivid assortment of geometric and abstract motifs, suggesting the energy of an industrial age. Dominant hues of red, blue, yellow and green intersect with black and white accents, creating a visual rhythm that evokes speed, fragmentation and the dynamism characteristic of early twentieth‑century avant‑garde thought.
Technique & Style
Cardoso employed layered shapes with varied edge treatments—some sharply cut, others smoothly curved—to generate depth and texture. Subtle color gradations blend across adjacent areas, while the juxtaposition of flat planes and more tactile surfaces reflects a synthesis of Cubist structuring and Futurist exuberance.
History & Provenance
Created during the peak of Futurism, the painting reflects Cardoso’s engagement with contemporary European movements. After changing hands in the interwar period, it entered the collection of the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, where it has been displayed as part of the institution’s representation of Portuguese modernism.
Context
At the time of its execution, Cardoso was among a small group of Portuguese artists integrating Parisian avant‑garde ideas into their practice. *BRUT 300 TSF* illustrates the cross‑currents between Cubism, Futurism and emerging abstract tendencies, positioning the work within a broader international dialogue on the visual language of modern life.
Artist & collection
Artist
Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso (14 November 1887 – 25 October 1918) was a Portuguese painter.
