Artwork
Woman at the Cafe
Woman at the Cafe is a tempera painting by the Post-Impressionist artist Rafael Barradas. It dates from 1918 and is held in the collection of the National Museum of Fine Arts, Argentina.
About this work
Overview
Rafael Barradas’ tempera work titled *Woman at the Cafe* was completed in 1918 and is part of the collection of the National Museum of Fine Arts in Buenos Aires. The painting presents a single figure seated in a café setting, rendered through a fragmented visual language that reflects early twentieth‑century modernist concerns.
Subject & Meaning
The central figure is a woman whose gaze meets the viewer, yet her facial features are abstracted and rearranged. By breaking the body into intersecting planes, Barradas suggests multiple viewpoints simultaneously, evoking the fleeting perception of a moment in a bustling social space.
Technique & Style
Executed in tempera, the piece combines the medium’s matte opacity with fine brushwork, giving the surface a subtle texture. The composition employs cubist principles: geometric fragmentation, overlapping forms, and a palette that juxtaposes warm yellows with cool blues and greens, creating visual tension and depth.
Context
Created during the post‑World War I period, the painting aligns with the broader European avant‑garde movement that explored new ways of representing reality. Barradas, a Uruguayan artist active in Buenos Aires, incorporated these ideas into his own practice, contributing to the diffusion of cubist aesthetics in South American art circles.
Artist & collection
Artist
Rafael Pérez Giménez Barradas, was an Uruguayan modernist painter and graphic artist who worked in Spain.
Museum
National Museum of Fine Arts, Argentina
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