Lemon Abstract, Flavio Emanuel Cabral (1918–1990), c.1980s, serigraph, 22x30 in, signed & numbered 82/250, modernist still life
A striking limited-edition serigraph titled Lemon Abstract by Flavio Emanuel Cabral, numbered 82/250 and hand-signed in pencil. This 22 x 30 inch modernist still life exemplifies Cabral’s disciplined geometric structure, luminous color layering, and Renaissance-inspired compositional balance. Published by Art Spectrum, a division of Mitch Morse Gallery, the work reflects Cabral’s museum-exhibited legacy and enduring California modernist influence.
Lemon Abstract presents a distilled still life composition centered on citrus forms and a sculptural vessel. Two sliced lemons flank a whole fruit, their radial interiors rendered with precise symmetry and restrained tonal gradation. To the right, a chalice-like pedestal bowl supports a single lemon, creating vertical counterpoint to the horizontal tabletop plane.
The composition is structured with architectural clarity: a dark, near-black upper field contrasts sharply with the warm green wood-grain surface and the terracotta and marbled lower register. The interplay between flat geometry and tactile texture—particularly in the distressed tabletop and speckled lower panels—demonstrates Cabral’s mastery of screenprinting techniques.
The serigraph layering produces saturated yellows, muted olive greens, deep plum-browns, and a crisp magenta accent within the bowl. The citrus slices serve not merely as still life elements but as compositional anchors—circular, radiant, and structurally balanced.
Hand-signed “Flavio Cabral” lower right and numbered 82/250 lower left, this edition features deckled edges and strong color retention. The work reflects Cabral’s mature period, where Renaissance calm merges seamlessly with mid-century abstraction.
Flavio Emanuel Cabral (1918–1990) was born in New York City to Portuguese parents born on the island of Trinidad in the West Indies. He lived in New York State until 1936 before relocating to Los Angeles, California, where he would build his artistic and academic legacy.
Cabral’s early artistic development was shaped through association with the Federal Arts Project under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. This foundational period instilled discipline in draftsmanship and structural composition—qualities that remained central throughout his career.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art Education in 1955 and a Master of Arts degree in Painting from the State University at Los Angeles in 1956. For thirty years, Cabral served as professor of painting and art history at Los Angeles Valley College, influencing generations of artists through his emphasis on classical proportion, compositional harmony, and historical continuity.
Cabral’s one-man exhibitions include the Laguna Beach Art Museum; Los Angeles County Art Museum; The De Young Museum, San Francisco; Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City; Santa Barbara Museum; and Pasadena Museum. He exhibited in prominent galleries including Stendahl Gallery (Los Angeles), Heritage Gallery (Los Angeles), Challis Gallery (Laguna Beach), Gallery D’Enchante (New York), Collectors Gallery (Chicago), and Dalzell Hatfield Gallery (Los Angeles).
His work appears in American Painting & Sculpture (University of Illinois), The Realm of Contemporary Still Life Painting, Oil Painting Techniques and Materials, Drawing: A Search for Form, and Who’s Who in the West. Critics in Art News, the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and Art Digest praised his refined balance of poetic atmosphere and disciplined structure. Arthur Millier of the Los Angeles Times described his work as expressing beauty touched with quiet melancholy.
World-renowned muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros recognized Cabral’s perceptive handling of subjective poetic elements. In 1963, Cabral completed a 60-foot mural for Robert Fulton Jr. High School, reinforcing his presence within California’s public art tradition.
Cabral occupies a distinct position within mid-20th-century American figurative modernism. While many contemporaries pursued pure abstraction, Cabral retained allegiance to Renaissance compositional logic—refracted through modern geometry and flattened planes. His still lifes, including Lemon Abstract, reveal this synthesis clearly: classical balance rendered through contemporary simplification.
Today, Cabral’s limited-edition serigraphs remain actively collected within regional and specialized markets. Scholars increasingly reassess artists who bridged academic realism and stylized modernism, and Cabral’s work continues to represent a thoughtful alternative to dominant abstract movements of his era. His legacy stands as one of compositional discipline, poetic restraint, and enduring structural clarity.
Flavio Emanuel Cabral (1918–1990)
Lemon Abstract
Serigraph on paper
22 x 30 inches
Signed lower right
Numbered 82/250
Published by Art Spectrum (Mitch Morse Gallery)
Modernist still life
This certifies that Lemon Abstract is an original limited-edition serigraph by Flavio Emanuel Cabral (1918–1990).
Medium: Serigraph on paper
Dimensions: 22 x 30 inches
Edition: 82/250
Signature: Hand-signed in pencil lower right
Publisher: Art Spectrum, a division of Mitch Morse Gallery Inc.
Condition: Excellent; no foxing; strong color
Provenance:
Mitch Morse Gallery
Art Spectrum (Publisher)
Private Collection
Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC (Current Owner)
This work is guaranteed authentic.
Excellent vintage condition.
No foxing.
Strong, vibrant color saturation.
Deckled edges intact.
Minor age-appropriate handling consistent with vintage serigraphs.
Lemon Abstract, Flavio Emanuel Cabral (1918–1990), c.1980s, serigraph, 22x30 in, signed & numbered 82/250, modernist still life
A striking limited-edition serigraph titled Lemon Abstract by Flavio Emanuel Cabral, numbered 82/250 and hand-signed in pencil. This 22 x 30 inch modernist still life exemplifies Cabral’s disciplined geometric structure, luminous color layering, and Renaissance-inspired compositional balance. Published by Art Spectrum, a division of Mitch Morse Gallery, the work reflects Cabral’s museum-exhibited legacy and enduring California modernist influence.
Lemon Abstract presents a distilled still life composition centered on citrus forms and a sculptural vessel. Two sliced lemons flank a whole fruit, their radial interiors rendered with precise symmetry and restrained tonal gradation. To the right, a chalice-like pedestal bowl supports a single lemon, creating vertical counterpoint to the horizontal tabletop plane.
The composition is structured with architectural clarity: a dark, near-black upper field contrasts sharply with the warm green wood-grain surface and the terracotta and marbled lower register. The interplay between flat geometry and tactile texture—particularly in the distressed tabletop and speckled lower panels—demonstrates Cabral’s mastery of screenprinting techniques.
The serigraph layering produces saturated yellows, muted olive greens, deep plum-browns, and a crisp magenta accent within the bowl. The citrus slices serve not merely as still life elements but as compositional anchors—circular, radiant, and structurally balanced.
Hand-signed “Flavio Cabral” lower right and numbered 82/250 lower left, this edition features deckled edges and strong color retention. The work reflects Cabral’s mature period, where Renaissance calm merges seamlessly with mid-century abstraction.
Flavio Emanuel Cabral (1918–1990) was born in New York City to Portuguese parents born on the island of Trinidad in the West Indies. He lived in New York State until 1936 before relocating to Los Angeles, California, where he would build his artistic and academic legacy.
Cabral’s early artistic development was shaped through association with the Federal Arts Project under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. This foundational period instilled discipline in draftsmanship and structural composition—qualities that remained central throughout his career.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art Education in 1955 and a Master of Arts degree in Painting from the State University at Los Angeles in 1956. For thirty years, Cabral served as professor of painting and art history at Los Angeles Valley College, influencing generations of artists through his emphasis on classical proportion, compositional harmony, and historical continuity.
Cabral’s one-man exhibitions include the Laguna Beach Art Museum; Los Angeles County Art Museum; The De Young Museum, San Francisco; Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City; Santa Barbara Museum; and Pasadena Museum. He exhibited in prominent galleries including Stendahl Gallery (Los Angeles), Heritage Gallery (Los Angeles), Challis Gallery (Laguna Beach), Gallery D’Enchante (New York), Collectors Gallery (Chicago), and Dalzell Hatfield Gallery (Los Angeles).
His work appears in American Painting & Sculpture (University of Illinois), The Realm of Contemporary Still Life Painting, Oil Painting Techniques and Materials, Drawing: A Search for Form, and Who’s Who in the West. Critics in Art News, the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and Art Digest praised his refined balance of poetic atmosphere and disciplined structure. Arthur Millier of the Los Angeles Times described his work as expressing beauty touched with quiet melancholy.
World-renowned muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros recognized Cabral’s perceptive handling of subjective poetic elements. In 1963, Cabral completed a 60-foot mural for Robert Fulton Jr. High School, reinforcing his presence within California’s public art tradition.
Cabral occupies a distinct position within mid-20th-century American figurative modernism. While many contemporaries pursued pure abstraction, Cabral retained allegiance to Renaissance compositional logic—refracted through modern geometry and flattened planes. His still lifes, including Lemon Abstract, reveal this synthesis clearly: classical balance rendered through contemporary simplification.
Today, Cabral’s limited-edition serigraphs remain actively collected within regional and specialized markets. Scholars increasingly reassess artists who bridged academic realism and stylized modernism, and Cabral’s work continues to represent a thoughtful alternative to dominant abstract movements of his era. His legacy stands as one of compositional discipline, poetic restraint, and enduring structural clarity.
Flavio Emanuel Cabral (1918–1990)
Lemon Abstract
Serigraph on paper
22 x 30 inches
Signed lower right
Numbered 82/250
Published by Art Spectrum (Mitch Morse Gallery)
Modernist still life
This certifies that Lemon Abstract is an original limited-edition serigraph by Flavio Emanuel Cabral (1918–1990).
Medium: Serigraph on paper
Dimensions: 22 x 30 inches
Edition: 82/250
Signature: Hand-signed in pencil lower right
Publisher: Art Spectrum, a division of Mitch Morse Gallery Inc.
Condition: Excellent; no foxing; strong color
Provenance:
Mitch Morse Gallery
Art Spectrum (Publisher)
Private Collection
Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC (Current Owner)
This work is guaranteed authentic.
Excellent vintage condition.
No foxing.
Strong, vibrant color saturation.
Deckled edges intact.
Minor age-appropriate handling consistent with vintage serigraphs.
