Ivan Ferreira Serpa (April 6, 1923–April 6, 1973) was a Brazilian painter, draftsman, printmaker, designer, and educator active in the concrete art movement.[1] Much of his work was in geometric abstractionism. He founded Grupo Frente, which included fellow artists Lygia Clark, Helio Oiticica, and Franz Weissmann, among others, and was known for mentoring many artists in Brazil.[2][3]
In 1954, Serpa published a book he wrote with Mario Pedrosa called, Crescimento e criação, which incorporated his work as a teaching children. He often gave free art classes to children.[9]
The well-traveled and educated Pedrosa became a close friend and was responsible for exposing Serpa to several leading twentieth-century intellectuals writting about art and pedagogy internationally, including the American educational reformer John Dewey (…) they all believed children had the benefit of a natural state of unselfconsciousness, and, when creating art, should be allowed to develop their abilities unfettered.
