An anthropomorphic orientation would soon take on an important role in his work. This was dominated by a hierarchical conception and took on a monumental status while at the same time pointing out cryptic aspects of his poetic visions. This is clearly illustrated in his work The awaited II (1964), currently in the collection of the Museu de Arte Contemporânea da Universidade de São Paulo (Museum of Contemporary Art of

University of São Paulo). In this fine example, the esoteric aligns itself to the primitive element which, he considers, subsists in the human being.

In the same year he produced some atypical figures — something along the line of scarecrows — in brass and wood. These figures were uneasy and expressive and were fortified with a sense of the surreal. It was also at this time that Vlavianos produced a series of robotized images which he called "Personages". These forms were undertaken in large dimensions as well as the smaller formats and recalled subtleties of ironic humour. The work displays formal discoveries in the juxtaposition of the relief traumatised by the folding with vast smooth extensions. "Man and machine: this is my theme", he once declared. More explicitly, he was referring to man and the fatal interaction which exists between him and the machine. But it is the primitive reminiscence of man in the age of technology which preoccupies the artist. "Modern man has the same phobias and manias as the primitive man", is a phrase often repeated by the artist. This concern with the everlasting memories which are imprinted on the human spirit and are never diluted, were always present in Vlavianos’ future work.

Untitled, 1965. Burnt wood and iron, 90 x 100 x 25 cm. Destroyed work.

From 1966 on, he began to diversify his materials. Besides iron and brass, which he was already using, he began working with aluminum, copper and, even more, the stainless steel, together with industrial residue. As in the past his evolution was made without enormous leaps and bounds, interlinking the past with the present. At some short periods in the second half of the 1960’s he constructed some series of boxes, where the discourse was predominantly subjective. At this time he was bringing other materials into his repertoire, such as acrylic and polyester as well as aluminum and stainless steel. His participation in the Brazilian artistic scene was even then one of the most sensitive. He created a piece of work which literally breathed the very uneasiness which was sweeping the country during the time of the dictatorship. He was a very sought after artist for exhibitions where he was frequently taking part. Besides his artistic plans, his activity as a very influential teacher — a role he never managed to free himself of — also has a very great value which should be stressed out.

Untitled, 1966. Welded and painted iron, heights: 235, 210 and 200 cm.Private col.

Throughout the continuation of his work as a sculptor, "Astronauts" appeared, with small to average proportions, after he had produced a series of figures which he called "Untamed". He created these by overlaying compact cubes and hollow spaces. These works were identified by the spirit of synthesis and his taste for the ‘mystery’ of the ancient. This was imposed alternatively between ample volumes and hollow spaces. However, there was also an integration of rigid orthogonal shapes and textures which contributed to the bringing about of a great iconic force to these images which was characterized by their terrifying aspects. Unfortunately, however, he did not detain himself long in these solutions. During these years he returned to the production of numerous reliefs covered with colour. Nonetheless, it was to the figure of the astronaut that he began a dedicated and concentrated effort. These representations took on a double meaning with their functional aspect of flight and of weight. His structural principles of the simplification of the human image were reapplied to symbolize the conquest of space.

Personage, 1968. Welded brass, 70 x 24 x 12 cm. Col. Haron Cohen, São Paulo.

A series of parallels between Vlavianos and other sculptors can be drawn when we speak of the "Personages". There is a relationship to be established, for example, with Chadwick’s The watchers. However, instead of the exiguous and static images of this influential British artist, surrounded in an atmosphere of expectation, Vlavianos’ figures, on a large scale and of compact form, exhibit a resolute attitude, both dynamic and at the same time threatening, of a man and his direct interaction with the conditioning factors that may affect him in our technological society. Similarly, his own peculiar sense of humour equally distances him from the spirituality of Chadwick. His techno-human context differs, on the other hand, from the mythical and less human atmosphere of the imagined idols of Paolozzi. The "Astronauts" reaffirmed, in stainless steel, the earlier investigation of the human figure. The definition of its parts was reduced to the essential in variants, where he explored with his usual unease, the expressive possibilities of metal and welding. It is worth mentioning the use of certain stylistic elements from the probable influences he received from the circumspect formalists Wotruba and Hoflehner. However, what really makes Vlavianos’ work stand apart is the expansive wealth within the being that he explores and the complex contents of its nature. His work contains a schematic conception of the figure and follows the law of frontality which is lessened by the asymmetry of the formal components and the contrasts of matter. All this is fruit of a multi-millenium existence and which is not lost even in his present development. For this new-age being, he did not go out searching for extraordinary dimensions or emphasis. He simply sees himself in the process of an evolution which is inseparable from other life experiences. Invested with resonance he compels us to question him.