Equilibrium is an image that vacillates between abstraction and representation. On a background of thin washes of ochre, angular “rock” formations occupy the central portion of the canvas. From a gap in the craggy rock a small glowing orb suggests a setting sun aligned with the sacred landscape on the solstice. Balanced on the central blocky formation is a second smaller rectangular form in the upper right. This precariously balanced form evokes the miraculous accidents of nature as rocks tumble from the mountains or perhaps a human intervention to assert control over the land. The rocky forms are roughly textured and multiple hues of browns, reds, greens, and yellows emanate from their mottled surfaces. Because the ochre ground extends under the rock formations, they seem to float in space undermining any connection to a real landscape. Moreover, the translucency of the paint and the uneven overlapping edges of the shapes force the viewer to remain aware of the artist’s process and thereby impedes the perception of a fully realized landscape. According to José Gómez Sicre in his preface for Da Silva’s exhibition at the OAS in 1961, “His [Da Silva’s] compositions suggest mineral forms, slabs of stone, or ancient monoliths, rendered with a sensitive feeling for color.” Gómez Sicre recognized that Da Silva’s work referenced the landscapes and ancient traditions of the Andes, while at the same time remaining connected to the experimental abstraction characteristic of the postwar period. By emulating the craggy Andean landscape and sacred traditions of an ancient past, Da Silva situates his work in local history and culture while simultaneously employing the international visual language of abstraction. Born in the Bolivian city of Potosí, Alfredo Da Silva studied at the Academia de Bellas Artes de Potosí and later at the Academia de Bellas Artes Prilidiano Pueyredon in Buenos Aires. In Argentina he came in contact with artists working in abstract modes for the first time. In 1959 he won the grand prize at the National Salon in Buenos Aires for his abstract canvases and it was there that José Gómez Sicre first saw his work and invited him to exhibit in the United States. In the spring of 1961 Gómez Sicre featured Da Silva’s work in an individual exhibition of paintings at the Pan American Union. That same year he was chosen to represent the Pan American Union at the São Paulo Biennial. In 1962 he received a grant to study graphic design at the Pratt Institute in New York and the following year he was awarded a year-long Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship. In 1964 he held a second exhibition at the Pan American Union of his graphic work. He also won third prize at the Biennale in Córdoba in Argentina that year. In 1977 he won grand prize at the II Biennale INBO in La Paz. In the 1970s, 80s, and 90s he worked as a graphic designer for various news and media organizations in New York and Washington, D.C. Da Silva’s work has been featured in numerous group and individual exhibitions and is held in public and private collections throughout North and South America and Europe.