Antonio Obá
Figura Nocturna II
Figura Noturna II by Antônio Obá depicts a dark figure, surrounded by a halo of light set against an even darker background. He has one eye open, which stares intensely at the viewer. The image relates to a theme recurrent in the artist’s practice: the figure lying awake at night. He is the one who never sleeps, or at least who sleeps with one eye open, vigilant and aware. Obá often works at night and, by extension, the painting can be seen as an allegory of the role of artists in general, as ever-present observers of the world. The work shrouds itself in an added layer of complexity if we consider another allegory often used by Obá: the need to always be alert against the insecurity, misinformation, and strife that spreads around the world.