By Eugênia Gorini Esmeraldo
The scene, common to childhood in Brazil, shows a well-dressed boy playing cup-and-ball, and another boy, barefoot and dressed in much more modest attire, apparently awaiting his turn to play. The boys are on a paved patio that features a flower pot with plants against an ochre-colored wall to the right, and a piece of garden with vegetation and bushes to the left. The dark gate in the background frames the figure of the boy playing, and highlights his face concentrating on the game. The drawing outlines the figures of the two children and compact masses define aspects of the clothing and scenario, lending solidity to the work. Straight lines predominate in the composition, especially on the right and in the figure of the boy who is playing, while his playmate is shown in profile and drawn in sinuous lines, as is the small tree in the background on the left.

— Eugênia Gorini Esmeraldo, 1998

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