12 Contemporary Brazilian artists you need to know

He’s another artist who has been around for a long time, starting his career at the young age of 14. He was mostly inspired during visits to Paris (Cubism and Fauvism) and the United States (Pop Art) in the 1980s. His method consists of creating works of art, often inspired by works of the Old Masters or Brazilian art portraits of modern-day celebrities, and then photographing them. What we define as Brazilian art today mostly encompasses the period after Brazil was colonized by the Portuguese in the 16th century. The Brazilian Baroque was formed through a complex fabric of European and local influences, although generally colored by the Portuguese interpretation of the style.

Tarsila do Amaral (1886 –

Her Bichos series, interactive sculptures with movable parts, challenged traditional notions of sculpture and spectatorship. Each artist’s unique journey, from the historical context that shaped their careers to the notable artworks that define their legacy, offers a fascinating glimpse into the vibrant and evolving landscape of Brazilian art. Among the first explorers of the newly discovered land came artists and naturalists, charged with making a visual register of the flora, fauna, geography and native peoples, working only with watercolor and engraving. These paintings probably had ritual functions and would have been seen as endowed with magical powers, capable of capturing the souls of depicted animals and therefore allowing for successful hunts. The most ancient complex of sites known is that of the Serra da Capivara, at Piauí, which exhibits painted remains dated 32 thousand years ago. None of these traditions, however, was incorporated into the artistic current introduced by the Portuguese colonizers, which became predominant.

Chamber of Deputies, Brazil

However, Baroque painting still survived in many places until the end of the 19th century. In 1816, the king, John VI, supported the project of creating a national Academy at the suggestion of some French artists led by Joachim Lebreton, a group later known as the French Artistic Mission. They were instrumental in introducing the Neoclassical style and a new concept of artistic education mirroring the European academies, being the first teachers at the newly founded school of art. Although born in Italy, was an important character while introducing modern art to the Brazilian sculpting scene. The artist studied at the Liceu de Artes e Ofício art school when he was only 18, and on his 19th birthday, he went back to Rome to enhance his techniques. This Brazilian artistic expression would contain different elements – characteristic of the different Brazilian regions, environments, and eras – both rural and urban, both ancient and modern.

Cildo Meireles (born in 1948) is a Brazilian artist who is specialized in installations. He is a conceptual artist and sculptor who was a leading figure in the concrete art movement. Various native peoples who lived here left behind all sorts of art, including cave paintings, sculptures, and pottery. One of the most famous painters of Latin American modernism, Tarsila do Amaral, or just Tarsila, developed a vocabulary of Brazilian art that is instantly recognizable even today.

At that time, gold was being discovered in the state of Minas Gerais, and the areas that benefited from the gold mining would quickly gain the interest of the Catholic missionaries who came to the country with the Portuguese invasion. The Africans, brought to Brazil to serve as slaves to the Portuguese colonies, also greatly influenced Brazilian popular culture, especially in regards to dancing and music. If you’re interested in learning more about it, we wrote a very cool article on 7 Brazilian Dances You Must Know, where you’ll be able to see how the Brazilian dances were affected by other world cultures.