15/02/2022

The Modern Art Week of 1922 is the theme of the 17th OBMEP (Brazilian Mathematical Olympiad for Public Schools).

Dance performances, music, art exhibitions, poetry readings, and lectures. Exactly 100 years ago, between February 13th and 18th, 1922, the Municipal Theater of São Paulo opened its doors to host the Modern Art Week, an event that represented a historical milestone in Brazilian culture. In homage to the centenary of the festival, recognized for breaking with the most predominant artistic expressions of the time, the 17th OBMEP (Brazilian Mathematics Olympiad for Public Schools) has the Modern Art Week as its theme.

The poster for the current edition of the Olympics is inspired by the works of artists who were protagonists of the movement, incorporating various elements in its reference. The colorful diamonds, for example, allude to the cover of the book "Paulicea Desvairada" by Mário de Andrade (1893-1945), the first avant-garde work of the modernist movement. The São Paulo poet was one of the central figures of the Week, alongside other organizers such as the writer Oswald de Andrade (1890-1954) and the visual artist Di Cavalcanti (1897-1976).

The floral and graphic pattern on the poster is a tribute to the book "Primeiro Caderno do Alumno de Poesia" (First Poetry Student's Notebook) by Oswald de Andrade. The poster for the 1922 event, created by Di Cavalcanti, was reproduced in the visual identity of the 17th OBMEP (Brazilian Mathematical Olympiad for Public Schools).

The choice of theme for the event's centenary also aims to highlight the relationship between mathematics and art, capable of introducing the discipline in a playful and engaging way. Claudio Landim, general coordinator of the Olympiad, comments on the relationship between the beauty of mathematics and forms of artistic expression. "I don't know if I can compare the nature of the problems faced by poets and mathematicians, but I admire both equally and I want to believe that some of the OBMEP medalists will become writers and bring the aesthetics of mathematics to this field," he says.

About the Modern Art Week of 1922

The Week of Modern Art was held at the Municipal Theater of São Paulo and brought together artists, students, and politicians in a festival of visual arts, music, and literature featuring young talents. This artistic and cultural event proposed innovative aesthetics that broke with the traditional pattern of Parnassianism, which was very prevalent in the country until then.

Inspired by the European avant-garde, the artists embraced movements such as Futurism, Cubism, Dadaism, Surrealism, and Expressionism, while maintaining an appreciation for Brazilian identity and culture.

Some of the leading figures in Brazilian art are part of the history of modernism in the country, such as Anita Malfatti (1889-1964), Graça Aranha (1868-1931), Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959), Tarsila do Amaral (1886-1973), and countless others.