The works shown at the fourth Bienal de São Paulo were grouped into three categories: painting, design-sculpture, and prints. The visual arts jury included well-known figures such as the art critic Lourival Gomes Machado (1917–1967), the printmaker Livio Abramo (1903–1993), José Geraldo Vieira (1897–1977), Flávio d’Aquino, and Armando Ferrari. As regards the selection criteria, the jury was looking for works that showed signs of “modern” trends while showcasing the artist’s technical skills. Works were also chosen on the basis of their intrinsic worth (and not according to other criteria). There was some concern about the possibility of creating a sort of continuity over the course of the biennials (initially as regards the Brazilian representation). With that in mind, the jury chose works by Aluíso Carvão (1920–2001), Willys de Castro (1926–1988), Alfredo Volpi (1896–1988), Sérgio Camargo (1930–1990), Luís Sacilotto (1924–2003), Hélio Oiticica (1937–1980), and Samson Flexor (1907–1971), among others.
One of the works shown at this biennial—which is now part of the Adolpho Leirner Collection of Brazilian Constructive Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston—was Tema circular 1 (1957) by Carvão, who was born in Belém, in the State of Pará, in 1918. After trying his hand at sculpture and scene design, he produced his first paintings in 1946, turning out works whose style suggested the influence of a latter-day Impressionism. He then joined the Grupo Frente (led by Ivan Serpa) and showed his work at the exhibitions the group organized in Rio de Janeiro. In the mid-1950s, Carvão continued his explorations in the field of art with some degree of consistency by teaming up with groups of Concrete artists and taking part in exhibitions in 1956 and 1957 (in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, respectively).
