Pedrosa, Mário Xavier de Andrade (1900–1981)

While the Brazilian scholar Mário Pedrosa is known internationally as an art critic, his influence extends far beyond his writing on art. As an outspoken militant, Pedrosa was actively involved in politics throughout his life to the degree that he was not only arrested but also exiled from Brazil several times. In the artistic field, he has emphasised the importance of abstract art and persistently promoted constructivist art, particularly the Concrete and Neoconcrete movements. He broke new ground in showing how Gestalt psychological theories enhance the phenomenological perception of artworks. Moreover, his interest in art which extended beyond traditional ideas led to his support of artists creating works that involved an active spectator.