Judith Lauand (26 May 1922 – 9 December 2022) was a Brazilian painter and printmaker. She is considered a pioneer of the Brazilian modernist movement that started in the 1950s, and was the only female member of the concrete art movement based in São Paulo, the Grupo Ruptura.
Early life and education
Lauand was born in Pontal, São Paulo, Brazil.
In the mid-1950s, Lauand graduated from the Escola de Belas Artes in Araraquara, São Paulo in Brazil with a degree in fine arts. While at Escola de Belas Artes, Lauand's education was based in traditional fine arts. Domênico Lazzarini and Maria Ybarra de Almeida taught her painting and Lívio Abramo taught her printmaking.
Career
After graduating from college, Lauand worked as a teacher in Araraquara and produced artwork on the side, which at that time was in the style of expressionist figurative paintings.
In 1953, Lauand moved to São Paulo. In 1954, she worked as a gallery monitor at the São Paulo Art Biennial, which led to her connecting with fellow artists who were part of the concrete art movement, Grupo Ruptura: Anatol Władysław, Geraldo de Barros, Leopoldo Haar, Lothar Charoux, Luís Sacilotto, Kazmer Féjer, and Waldemar Cordeiro. Lauand soon joined the group, becoming their only female member.
Lauand's work is rooted in the abstract art from the 1950s, with a movement in 1954 to a more rigid and analytical approach. Starting in the 1960s, Lauand began incorporating non-traditional materials like paper clips and other items into her pieces, making the surfaces uneven and creating different effects.
Lauand was the only artist among her contemporaries who signed her paintings, and signed on the front of the painting. This was seen as a more traditional approach, and was a rejection of the theoretical aesthetic of what other artists were doing.
Lauand worked across many different mediums. As a painter, she created works using acrylic, enamel, oil, and tempera paints, incorporating gouaches and/or collages. Lauand's output also took the form of embroidery, sculptures, woodcuts, and tapestries.
Death
Lauand turned 100 on 26 May 2022, and died in São Paulo on 9 December.