Although visual artists in Latin America engaged with the European avant-gardes throughout the twentieth century—with travels, circulating exhibitions, and reproductions in books and journals—artists in the Southern Cone were especially engaged with European Constructivism. Joaquin Torres-Garcia and Waldemar Cordeiro are two distinct visual artists, working in different cosmopolitan centers and periods, that are examples of this exchange. Using Mari-Carmen Ramirez’ essay, “Vital Structures: The Constructive Nexus in South America,” as your jumping off point, please discuss how Torres-Garcia and Cordeiro each deployed the visual languages of Constructivism to advance their respective avant-garde projects, quoting directly from the manifestos they each wrote; School of the South, and Ruptura. Once you paraphrase the main concepts that Ramirez advances, please incorporate two works of art, 1 by each artist (2 total), to serve as examples of their unique approaches to constructivism. You should offer a detailed formal analysis of each work, with attention to medium and scale.
