Documents of Latin American and Latino Art

Written in 1966, the essay “Raimundo Cela: um pioneiro esquecido” [Raimundo Cela: A Forgotten Pioneer] refers to the “oblivion” into which the artist’s work has fallen, and discusses the artistic qualities of his work, particularly the [...]

This brief text is about the art of woodcut printing and its traditional use in the genre of “cordel literature” (or string literature) in northeastern Brazil. The author, Barboza Leite, notes its increasing recognition as an artistic language. [...]

After happening upon drawings used to decorate the walls of fishermen’s houses in Praia Formosa (Fortaleza, capital of the state of Ceará), Jean-Pierre Chabloz went out in search of the artist. Elementary, but genuine, was his opinion about the [...]

In this text, Jean-Pierre Chabloz reports on certain natural and self-taught talent he found in the state of Ceará (in northeast Brazil). Most of these artists live in the complete anonymity typical of people with humble origins. By way of example, [...]

Jean-Pierre Chabloz relates his experience in the state of Ceará (Northeast Brazil), a memory he closely links to his pencil and brush. He owes his encounters with artists in the region to drawing, and he believes the work he created then was the [...]

Aluízio Medeiros discusses the third Salão de Abril presented by the SCAP (Sociedade Cearense de Artes Plásticas). Medeiros recalls the assembly of artists and intellectuals that took place six years earlier in the city of Fortaleza. He explains [...]

In this article, Roberto Galvão provides a chronological timeline of the facts and institutions that contributed to the cultural state of Ceará in northeastern Brazil. He discusses the challenges that regional artists have faced in their attempts [...]

This text demonstrates that Adhemar Bezerra de Albuquerque was a pioneer in photography and film production in the state of Ceará, Brazil. His production company, Aba Films—whose name comes from his initials—founded in the twenties is still [...]

Firmino Holanda tells the story of the United States film director Orson Welles passing through the state of Ceará in 1942, in the course of filming It’s All True [also known as The Story of Samba]. The film was controversial in various ways: It [...]

[This is an] historical account of Clã [Clan], which is a literary journal focused on modernism in the state of Ceará (Northeast Brazil) that emphasized the work produced by local painters. The first issue (zero) appeared in 1946, and the journal [...]

Lisette Lagnado points out certain interesting aspects she sees in José Leonilson’s work. She notes connections between the painter’s work and what he says when he suggests that a work of art could be both a painting and a letter; not to mention [...]

The curator Lisette Lagnado interviews the artist José Leonilson, and mentions a long list of artistic references concerning his activity in Brazil. These include Antonio Dias, the most productive influence on his development as an artist; the [...]

According to Clarival Valladares, folk art and fine art both took parallel approaches in terms of the socio-economic divisions in Brazilian society. He describes the internal migration of people from the northeast to the southern part of the country [...]

This is the initial text of the book O negro na literatura e na arte. It was originally the text of a lecture given at the Teatro José de Alencar to commemorate the day when slavery was abolished in Brazil (1888). The event was organized by the [...]