Rock art
Long before the arrival of the explorers, the Amerindian peoples practiced an art different from the European codes. The main supports of the painting were the human body, the ceramics and the walls of the caves.
A French archaeological mission has been working in Minas Gerais for about fifty years. It is relayed by the actions of the Cultural Center of Indigenous Arts of Brazil in Tiradentes. The analysis of the rock art on the thousands of sites in the region shows a great diversity of styles and themes. The colored pigments as well as the rendering of the facies vary according to the places. In the center, animal figures tend to be monochrome, while bichrome geometric forms are more common in the south. In the state of Minas Gerais, the petroglyphs of about thirty centimeters discovered in the shelter of Lapa do Santo are the oldest in the country (8,000 years).Emergence of Brazilian painting
Art as we know it arrived with the first Europeans. The explorers surrounded themselves with artists in charge of documenting the new lands. Most often in watercolor, these artists recorded the fauna and flora, but also the population and its activities. Bound, these illustrations began to be distributed from 1557 with the book of Father André Thevet. Portraits and landscapes are impregnated with mannerism and have only Brazilian themes.
In the 17th century, after the Dutch invasion of the Northeast, Flemish painters went to Brazil. Frans Post, the most famous, produced a series of paintings in the Dutch landscape tradition, representing in particular the fauna and flora of the region. In addition to its aesthetic beauty, his work has value as a historical record.Baroque art
At the beginning of the 18th century, the European baroque infused in Brazilian painting was nuanced with local influences. The codes of this style, which had become major in Brazil, namely sentiment, drama and a taste for opulence, predisposed it to convey the message of the Catholic Church. Rare are the works that are signed. Brazilian Baroque art is exceptional for its wide diffusion and its duration, of almost three centuries. It owes its originality to the diversity of its builders (Indians, Africans, Portuguese) and the variety of materials available. Unlike the Spaniards, who discovered Aztec and Inca buildings in Mexico, Bolivia or Peru, the Portuguese sculptors found neither stone nor builders on their arrival on the Brazilian coast.
The plans for the buildings, and sometimes even the stones, like those of the cathedral of São Salvador de Bahia, came from Europe. These rather massive churches are close to Portuguese simplicity, with their quadrangular forms, their facades without sculpture and their severe lines inspired by the aesthetics of the Italian counter-reformation. Yet, this compact form gives the buildings an airy feel. The Baroque, contrary to the flat and linear Renaissance style, uses the optical illusion; it invents the third dimension, aims at a global, living form.
To this poetic simplicity, to this stripping of the exterior, is opposed, from before the Rococo period, an aesthetic of abundance, an excessive richness of interior decorations. It appears in the talha - woodcarving - of the Jesuits of Bahia, in 1670, then of the Franciscans of Recife, around 1700: bubbling rockeries, golden scum, crowns, shells, roses, sunflowers, inextricable vegetable interlacing, broken rosaries of cherubs wandering in the clouds. This opposition was to become more pronounced during the first half of the 18th century.
The important gold mines of Minas Gerais, recently discovered, were put to use. The church designed and sculpted by Manuel Francisco Lisboa, known as Aleijadinho, in Ouro Preto (1727), and decorated by his friend the painter Ataíde, remained balanced. But the churches of São Pedro dos Clerigos in Recife (1728) and Capela Dourada, the cathedral of Bahia and the monastery of São Bento in Rio de Janeiro were, in the words of Victor L. Tapié, "caves of gold destined to capture the imagination of the Indians. Place of convergence of the gold rush, Ouro Preto knows a particular destiny in the XVIIIth century. In the numerous places of worship, the perspective makes its introduction. It invites to all the exuberances. The colored decorations integrated into the architecture overflowed their frame, in the manner of the rococo. Manuel da Costa Ataíde (1762-1830), sculptor and painter, left a major work in the whole region. One of his most famous paintings, the Glorification of the Virgin, is in the Igreja de São Francisco de Assis in Ouro Preto (painted on wood, between 1801 and 1812)
To this decorative fantasy, José Soares de Araujo imposes in Diamantina a rigorous style carried by a dark palette
During the second half of the 18th century, this profusion also invaded the exterior of the buildings, such as the magnificent and senseless façade of the Terceiro Ordem in Salvador. At the same time, the overall plans evolve towards less rigid forms, but do not lack sobriety and cohesion: irregularity of the Santuário do Bom Jesus de Matosinhos in Congonhas, undulating sides of the nave of the Igreja São Francisco de Assis, in São João del-Rei, bulging facades, corner towers, with domes and bell towers, plans where ellipse and polygon are combined.. These tendencies are visible in the Igreja de São Francisco de Assis, the church of the Franciscan Third Order, built by Aleijadinho in Ouro Preto. The sculptor knew, better than his colleagues in Salvador, how to master the profusion of interior decorations.
Romanticism
The French were the inspirers of a romantic academic Brazilian painting, where the exuberance of nature and light had a predominant place. Thus the "French artistic mission" brought in painters under the leadership of Joaquim Lebreton in 1816, notably Nicolas-Antoine Taunay, Jean-Baptiste Debret and François-René Moreaux. As a great lover of art, Emperor Don João VI initiated this initiative on his return from Portugal, but he clashed with the supporters of the Baroque tradition. This new Academia Imperial de Belas Artes (AIBA), created in 1826 in Rio, gave rise in the second half of the 19th century to a pictorial scene specific to the country. Rio established itself as the center of Brazilian academicism
Talented artists such as Victor Meirelles(Panorama of Rio, 1890) or Pedro Americo(Batalha de Avai, 1879) joined the collection of the Museu Nacional de Belas Artes - MNBA in Rio, the largest museum in Brazil. Brazilian art occupies a major place in its important collection of 19th century works. Temporary exhibitions raise awareness of contemporary local art
Modernism
The modernist wave that shook Europe in the 1920s reached Brazil, particularly São Paulo. Futurism, Dadaism and Cubism were revisited by Brazilian artists through the prism of their culture. The first São Paulo Biennial took place in 1951. Abstract art and the avant-garde were finally given a broad platform for dissemination. The event was decisive for the evolution of Brazilian painting
The cultural effervescence of São Paulo was opposed to the more traditional atmosphere of Rio. The capital has finally caught up. This desire is marked by the opening of the Museo de Arte Moderna - MAM in the heart of Flamengo Park. Its three floors are dedicated to Brazilian and international modern art. One can discover paintings by Emiliano Di Cavalcanti or Tarsila do Amaral, photographers from the region, such as Alair Gomes born in 1921 and his astonishing series of male nudes in black and white, captured in almost danced movements; Claudia Andujar, a Brazilian photographer born in Switzerland in 1931, known for her support of the Yanomami indigenous people
The Bay of Rio has inspired painters and photographers since the mid-19th century. In photography, the precursor Marc Ferrez, born in Rio de Janeiro in 1843, documented the daily life of the young Brazilian nation.
Contemporary art
The year 1984 marked the official return of painting with the exhibition Onde está você, geração 80? It brought together 123 artists, most of them beginners, who renewed the vision of painting in Rio de Janeiro.
The Museu de Arte Contemporânea - MAC, located in Niterói, has a rich collection of contemporary Brazilian artists. A new museum, the Museu de Arte do Rio - MAR
, offers temporary collections of contemporary art and photography. Near Belo Horizonte, in Brumadinho, contemporary art lovers will experience the beautiful Inhotim Botanical Garden, where the Inhotim Institute is located. In this unique setting, open-air art dialogues with lush nature. Alongside international stars, we find the biggest names in Brazilian contemporary art. Adriana Varejão, born in Rio de Janeiro in 1964, brings traditional techniques such as azulejos up to date, or the famous sculptor and performer Tunga (Antonio José de Barros Carvalho, born in 1952 and died in 2016), known for his enigmatic works, between existential questioning and surrealismAmong the figures of contemporary art, the painter and sculptor Hélio Oiticica is the pioneer of concrete art in Brazil. Oiticica died at the age of 43 in 1980, but left an important body of work, respected by international critics. A major figure of the Tropicalia movement at the end of the 1960s, he advocated the mixing of the arts. His installations, which were intended to be abstract and popular, recall his Brazilian roots.
Nowadays, the approach of the visual artist Christina Oiticica (who is none other than the wife of the writer Paulo Coelho) is based on an archaeological and naturalist quest. Sensitive to the environment, she integrates organic elements into her creations. Her paintings are a bridge between the past and the present.Street-art
Even more so in Rio than elsewhere, street art is exploding throughout the country.
Brazilians differentiate between tagging or "pichação", perceived as an act of rebellion, and " grafite " which is an artistic process. Since 2009, the Brazilian government has legalized the practice of street art
, provided that the owner agrees. It must also "embellish". This practice proclaims popular values. Whatever its message, the mural remains colorful and passionate. However, actions are multiplying in favor of a thoughtful and quality art. The most significant are the street art festivals that bring together artists from all over the world. In the streets of Rio, keep an eye out for this collection of great Brazilian signatures. Rafaela Monteiro aka Rafa Mon comes straight from the fashion world. His frescoes are recognizable by their dreamy and poetic tone. World famous, Eduardo Kobra expresses his art in monumental frescoes with realistic tendency. Originally from the suburbs of São Paulo, he adds to his colorful compositions kaleidoscopic games that make his reputation. In addition to exhibiting in Paris, Spain and Argentina, Marcelo Eco scatters works throughout the city of Rio. He likes to reproduce in a graphic style the portrait of a moustachioed man with a pointed chin, who could be Salvador Dali. In any case, he can be found everywhere in Rio de Janeiro, especially on the Avenida Nossa Senhora de Copacabana.Urban art in Belo Horizonte
Thiago Mazza, born in Belo Horizonte in 1984, took his first steps as a graffiti artist in his native city. His frescoes, which propose a dialogue between classical and modernist references, quickly propelled him to the forefront of contemporary muralism. His work can be seen in urban art festivals around the country, including CURA in Belo Horizonte. As an extension of the event, the CURA association proposes an urban art route throughout the city
Rio, between art and history
In Rio, the walls of the Botanical Garden and the subway are known for their frescos. To guide a walk in the city, here are some other tracks. The tramway mural in Santa Teresa reminds us of the place that this means of transportation once occupied in the daily life of the inhabitants. The Botafogo neighborhood is not only rich in street art, but it brings together artists who are more attached to form than to content. Here, far from political messages and reminders of reality, an abundance of colorful nuggets embellish the urban environment just for fun
In contrast, the works in Centro revive memories of historical events, from rural life to slavery. This is the home of the world's largest mural: Eduardo Kobra commissioned the center for the Olympic Games on the theme of indigenous tribes and the five continents. Recognized in the Guinness Book! In the chic and trendy neighborhood of Ipanema, the anonymous graffiti artist Oraculo Project spreads love through stenciled messages scattered on the ground. In English and Portuguese. The same artist colors tree trunks in red to raise awareness about the destruction of forests. The 2014 World Cup has been the subject of countless expressions of popular dissent. Alongside the uprisings of the population, these visual messages continue to haunt the streets. When the news is read on the walls ..
