Influenced by the intellectuals he frequented at the house of his uncle, a leading figure in abolitionism, Di Cavalcanti built an artistic career which was politicized right from the start, and became one of the founders of the Modern Art Week in 1922. With the Grupo dos Cinco, this movement aimed to revive art in São Paulo and to emancipate Brazilian art from European influence. The work he exhibited during the Semana revealed, however, clear symbolist, expressionist and impressionist influences.
