In 1957 Valentim arrived in Rio de Janeiro, then the capital of Brazil, and began to incorporate new perspectives and processes in his artistic practice. The dialogue between geometry and syncretic cultural manifestations, especially those related to Afro-Brazilian religions, led to a visual language in which forms and colours carry semantic components, different from those proposed by the Concrete and Neoconcrete movements at the time. Valentim created a signographic language in which symbols and icons refer to elements such as the oxé, the sacred double-edged axe of Xangô; or the ofá, Oxóssi’s bow and arrow.
During this period Valentim started his investigation into the possibilities of colour, experimenting with contrasts, delimitations and backgrounds. He also began arranging elements in vertical compositions on his canvases, in dialogue with ritualistic objects from Candomblé and Umbanda.
Part of this process was recorded in his notebooks, a habit he kept throughout his life. He wrote down ideas, documented processes and made sketches that would eventually be materialised into works of art.
While he lived in Rio de Janeiro, Rubem Valentim participated in important exhibitions in Brazil and was recognised with the Brazilian Association of Art Critics award in 1962, or in the same year, the XI National Salon of Modern Art award, which took him to Europe.