Candido Portinari He was a famous Brazilian painter. He was born on December 29, 1903, in the city of Brodowski, in the state of São Paulo. He later studied drawing and painting at the National School of Fine Arts in Rio de Janeiro. And it didn't take long to acquire fame as a painter and exhibit his works in Brazil and other countries.
The artist, who died on February 6, 1962, in Rio de Janeiro, is part of Brazilian Neorealism — an artistic movement of modernist character. His works feature social themes, as well as expressionist and cubist elements. Coffee, Withdrawals It is The first mass in Brazil They are famous works by Portinari.
Read too: Tarsila do Amaral — one of the best-known names in national painting
Summary about Candido Portinari
Brazilian painter Candido Portinari was born in 1903 and died in 1962.
In addition to being an artist, he was also a teacher and candidate for senator.
His paintings are part of the neorealist aspect of Brazilian Modernism.
His works have a social theme, in addition to expressionist and cubist traits.
The screens Coffee It is Withdrawals These are his most famous paintings.
Biography of Candido Portinari
Candido Portinari was born on December 29, 1903, in the city of Brodowski, in the state of Sao Paulo. He was the son of Italian immigrants and had 11 siblings. In 1909, Portinari began making his first drawings. Two years later, he assisted Italian painters in the restoration of his hometown's church.
In 1918, he went to Rio de Janeiro, where studied drawing at the Lyceum of Arts and Crafts, in addition to entering the National School of Fine Arts to study drawing and painting. In 1922, he had his first exhibition at the Salão da Escola Nacional de Belas Artes. And, in 1929, a solo exhibition sponsored by the Brazilian Artists Association.
That year, he traveled to Europe for the first time. He visited Italy, Spain and England. And he started living in Paris, France. In that city, in 1930, he met Uruguayan Maria Martinelli (1911-2006). Married, he returned to Rio de Janeiro in 1931. In 1932 and 1933, he held a solo exhibition at the Palace Hotel.
He began teaching Mural and Easel Painting classes in 1935., at the University of the Federal District. He also participated in the Carnegie Institution International Exhibition in the United States. However, in 1939, the university where he worked was closed. The following year he participated in exhibitions in the United States.
In 1942, he painted four frescoes, over a few months, for the Hispanic Foundation of the Library of Congress, in the United States. After carrying out several works in Brazil, he participated in an exhibition at the Charpentier Gallery, in Paris, in 1946. Next year, ran for the position of senator, by the Communist Party of São Paulo.
He lost the election, but presented a solo exhibition in Argentina and Uruguay. In 1950, he participated in the XXV Venice Biennale, in Italy. For a few years, he had been making murals and panels, as well as illustrations for books. In 1953, his health was affected due to paint poisoning.
Because of this health problem, in 1954, doctors advised him to take a break from painting. Two years later he exhibited in Italy and Israel. And in 1957, in Maison de la Pensée, in Paris, and also in Munich, Germany. From then on, he had many international exhibitions, as he was already known worldwide.
The painter separated from his wife in 1960, but they remained friends. The following year, in 1961, the artist had more health problems caused by poisoning. And, in July of that year, he presented his last national exhibition. Thus, he died on February 6, 1962, in Rio de Janeiro.
Characteristics of Portinari's artistic production
![The coffee farmer, an important work by Portinari.[1]](/f/d7c989b31b3eb761a5dcd6545b4a8ec2.jpg)
To the works by Candido Portinari are part of the neorealist aspect of Brazilian modernism. Therefore, they present a social theme. People from the common people are portrayed in order to show social injustices. His paintings show the daily life of ordinary Brazilians, as well as the reality of the marginalized.
Despite being remembered for his social expressionism, Portinari also suffered influence of Cubism. Furthermore, His paintings have a nationalist character and give protagonism to rural workers and black people. Poverty is portrayed in its dramatic aspect.
Read too: Anita Malfatti — the precursor of Modernism in Brazil
Portinari House Museum
In the city of Brodowski, the house where Candido Portinari lived It has been the Casa de Portinari Museum, since 1970. The Secretariat of Culture, Economy and Creative Industry of the State of São Paulo is responsible for the space. Of great cultural importance, the house-museum has works of mural painting on its walls.
Therefore, at the end of 1968, the residence was listed by the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute. In the early 1970s, it was also listed by the Council for the Defense of Historical, Archaeological, Artistic and Tourist Heritage of the State of São Paulo. Thus, the museum was opened on March 14, 1970.
Portinari's main works
The coffee farmer (1934).
Coffee (1935).
Washers (1937).
Discovery of the earth (1941).
Withdrawals (1944).
Dead child (1944).
Boys flying kites (1947).
The first mass in Brazil (1948).
Tiradentes (1948).
Holy Family (1952).
Honors, titles and awards from Portinari
Bronze medal from the National Salon of Fine Arts (1923).
Silver medal from the National Salon of Fine Arts (1925).
Silver medal from the National Salon of Fine Arts (1927).
Foreign Travel Award (1928).
Honorable mention for screen Coffee, at the Carnegie Institute International Exhibition, in the United States (1935).
Legion of Honor, decoration from the French government (1946).
Gold Medal for Peace from the II World Congress of Partisans for Peace, in Warsaw (1950).
Painter of the Year Medal, from Fine Arts Council, in New York (1955).
National Guggenheim Prize, in New York (1956).
Hallmark Award, in New York (1957).
Golden Star, in Brussels (1958).
Image credits
[1] Wikimedia Commons
[2] Wikimedia Commons
Sources:
ABAURRE, Maria Luiza M.; PONTARA, Marcela. Literature: times, readers and readings. 3. ed. São Paulo: Moderna, 2015.
BERNARDO, Hebe de Camargo. The Coffee Workers: analysis of a work by Portinari. 2012. Dissertation (Master of Arts) – Institute of Arts, Universidade Estadual Paulista, São Paulo, 2012.
LEHMKUHL, Luciene. Portinari's Café at the Portuguese World Exhibition — catalyst for neorealism. Annals of the National Historical Museum, Rio de Janeiro, v. 54, p. 1-20, 2021.
CASA DE PORTINARI MUSEUM. Timeline. Available in: https://www.museucasadeportinari.org.br/candido-portinari/linha-do-tempo/.
CASA DE PORTINARI MUSEUM. The museum. Available in: https://www.museucasadeportinari.org.br/institucional/o-museu/.
SELIS, Lara Martim Rodrigues. Limits of reason: a study on the neorealist theory of Kenneth Waltz. 2011. Dissertation (Master’s in International Relations) – Institute of International Relations, University of Brasília, Brasília, 2011.
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/artes/candido-portinari.htm
