A cor como signo de contracultura nas capas de discos da tropicália.

Abstract

This research was based on the assumption that the series of social events which dictated the dynamics of the 1960’s influenced the graphic design of the album covers of the tropicalists and, consequently, their colors. Concerning this issue, a study was carried out which focused on the interpretation of the meaning expressed on these covers, aiming to explain the way the colors convey altogether with the other signs on the construction of visual discourses which represent the counterculture. Therefore, it was used a theoretical-methodological referential composed by concepts of the Semiotic Theory (analysis tool) and Color Theories (specific concepts inherent to colors). With a qualitative approach, this study has as its analysis corpus the covers of six albums of the Tropicália movement which were released in the year of 1968. Initially, ideological basis and the range of the movement are presented in order to identify the artistic and cultural features which were connected to the colors at the time, as well as the messages of the counterculture conveyed on the album covers. Subsequently, plastic, iconic and linguistic signs present on the design are categorized in order to analyze the relation between colors and the other signs, as well as the meanings they may represent, considering the social, political and cultural context in which the albums were produced. The results of the analysis show that the colors and the chromatic features refer to the primitive and exotic (through the colors of nature and the ones related to indigenous culture), to the esoteric and the enigmatic (with the use of unreal or unusual colors), also to the spiritual and the psychedelic (profusion of colors and optical vibration). On the analyzed corpus, a number of colors represent denial and opposition to archaic values, suggesting the concepts of vanguard and modernity (recurrence of the black color), also the subjective criticism to the Brazilian dictatorship and representation of the intellectual and revolutionary aspects (black and red), establishing an opposition to the official, nationalist colors (green, yellow and blue). It was also verified the use of colors and visually attractive combinations which refer to seduction and persuasion, implying subjective criticism to capitalism through irony. Finally, the research showed that, together with other elements of graphic composition, the colors of the album covers of the tropicalists express a contraposition to the current culture, expressing representations of criticism to the establishment and the mainstream.