Mário Pedrosa discusses the exhibitions Opinião 65 and Opinião 66, explaining that these (“opinion”) events were not simply opportunities to showcase the latest thing in contemporary art. Pedrosa notes that the selection—based on the popular political and social productions staged by the Teatro de Arena (1965)—was truly inspired. He compares the song Carcará to the hymns of the French Revolution, and underscores the importance of both Glauber Rocha’s film Deus e o Diabo na Terra do Sol, because of the huge impact of the Cinema Novo, and the dramatic transcendence of the poet João Cabral de Mello Neto’s Morte e Vida Severina and its contribution to the radical renewal of this literary genre. In Pedrosa’s opinion the 1965 Opinião exhibition raised important questions, not only in terms of aesthetics but also as regards the social contradictions of the times, keeping in mind that it was presented a year after the military coup that installed the fascist dictatorship that lasted for two decades. He notes that social and popular figures had been elevated to the status of collective and mythical representations that became symbols arranged in a visual plot that was largely symmetrical and unrelated to the technical aspects of the works. Pedrosa believes the works address ideas about urban life, and discusses some of the pieces by artists such as Antonio Dias, Rubens Gerchman, Carlos Vergara, Pedro Escosteguy, Hélio Oiticica, and Frans Krajcberg. He also highlights the multi-sensory projects contributed by Lygia Clark.

The exhibitions Opinião 65 and Opinião 66 were presented (in 1965 and 1966, respectively) at the MAM-RJ (Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro). They were both organized by the French art dealer and journalist Cérès Franco and the Rumanian gallery owner Jean Boghici. Both events included European and Brazilian artists who were part of the NF (new figuration) movements, and adopted the name of the productions staged by the Teatro de Arena: “Opinion…”

In his essay the art critic Mário Pedrosa discusses the social, popular, and urban nature of contemporary art in the 1960s, noting that these factors overshadowed the technical and aesthetic aspects of the works. Like the Neo-concrete critic Ferreira Gullar, Pedrosa predicts that the emergence of new figurative movements would lead to widespread renewal in Brazilian art following the crisis caused by the constructive utopias of the 1950s. However, and unlike Gullar, he believes it would be more aligned with the experimentation that continued into the late 1960s as an exercise of real possibilities and an expression of freedom.  

[On this subject, see the following articles in the ICAA digital archive: by Harry Laus “Opinião provoca manifesto” (doc. no 1110558); by Cérès Franco et al. “Declaração Poética para ‘Opinião 66’” (doc. no. 1110375); also by Cérès Franco “Opinião 65” (doc. no. 1090499); by Ferreira Gullar “Opinião 65” (doc. no. 1090530); by Frederico Morais “A Opinião Brasileira de 66” (doc. no. 1110550); and by Hélio Oiticica “Esquema geral da nova objetividade” (doc. no. 1110372)].