Art in the Past

 

Art in Brazil was created by the native tribes dating back to 13000 B.C. They created pottery that was not very complex. Then in the 1500's, the Portugese came to Brazil and took over. They brought with them African slaves and their traditions. The Brazilians invented Capoeira - a fusion of martial arts, dance, and music. It was based off of the African method of keeping spirits high in song and dance. The Portugese civilized the Brazilians culturally, changing their art, music, and fashion forever. The Portugese brought European forms of art, naturally evolving over time with that of Europe's. In the 1500's, the major forms of folk and fine art were Capoiera (newly invented at the time), Lundu (another form derived from the African slaves) which was a mix of comedic song and dance introduced in 1587.






Art in the 17th and 18th centuries

Picture
Baroque art
During the 1600's and 1700's, Baroque art was the main art form due to its popularity. In this period of time, art became more precise and defined. In addition, it started to have simple guidelines such as creating visual likenesses of the objects being portrayed, and incorporating vivid color schemes. Baroque art was very beautiful, but much of it was created for drama. Most scenes and music created during this period of time were dramatic. In the 1750's Brazilian classical music drastically changed, akin to how Europe's music changed. The first operas were being written (in Portugese of course), and like the visual arts, Baroque music followed too. Musical instruments like violas and early guitars were introduced, and soon became very popular among the Brazilians.

Art in the 1800's and the Start of the Modern Era

Picture
A Neoclassical church
In the 1800's the Baroque period was coming to an end, and two new forms replaced the everchanging Brazilian culture. The first one was Neoclassicism, a type of architecture that was widely used in churches. Neoclassicism is basically art modeled after western culture (usually Greece or Rome). It consists of many arches, spheres, and circular devices. Midway through the century, Romanticism was born. This art showed many emotions in Europe, but not so much in Brazil. The visual arts didn't change much from the Baroque, but the literature was just as emotional as the European counterpart. The next and last form of art is Realism, which was even more precise than Baroque. While Baroque took on a more dramatic and powerful approach, Realism was an attempt to create exactly what was being depicted. Realism art wasn't an exaggeration, it was just the everyday truth. Realism was introduced towards the end of the 19th century. Near the end of the 1800's, Brazil was freed from Portugal's grasp (it was actually in 1822, but the Portugese took a while to leave), and the art started to change too. A major composer from this period was José Maurício Nunes Garcia.

Modern Art: 20th Century to Current Times

Picture
Even museums can be art!
In 1922, a major event took place that brought the 19th century into modern times. "The Week of Modern Art Festival" introduced new art styles, like Cubism, Surrealism, Expressionism. Although it was considered a failure, it made people think about possible new types of art. In the 1950s the forms of art regained composure through Abstractionism. For example, Cubism wasn't Cubism anymore, it was an abstract form of Cubism withouit breaking any guidelines of the original form. Below is an example of Brazilian Cubism and regular Cubism (Left to right). Brazilian art used to be all about reflecting the spirit of Portugal, which was concise and exact. Since Brazil was emancipated, the people gained the freedom to create the art that reflects the true culture of Brazil. The art in Brazil is about being revolutionary, after centuries of being the same. The spirit of Brazil is wild, imprecise, but still amazing. Most modern music, especially Brazilian rap, is about politicians, views on politics, government, and social standards. Popular types of music are Bossa Nova (a fusion of jazz and samba), Brazilian rap, and Maxixe (a Brazilian Tango accompanied with music). Joao Gilberto is said to be the founding father of Bossa Nova, and is an important modern composer.

Art in the Future

Picture
Cubism could look like this in the future
In the future Brazilian art will become more abstract, but maintain two traits: being unique and individualistic; and containing culture. The art in Brazil has followed trends, which makes it easier to predict the future of art in Brazil, compared to the future of art in general. In the past, Portugal controlled Brazilian culture, including the art. The Brazilians created what the Portugese wanted them to create, but they still found ways to think outside the box, which is why Capoeira and Lundu were created. Even with the Portugese in control, Romanticism in Brazil was completely different from Romanticism in Europe. The only reason it was called Romanticism was because during that time period, the dominant art form in Europe was called Romanticism. When the Brazilians were finally free from the Portugese rule, they could never forget what happened, so they sought out to create widely unique forms of art, each artist stretching the basic guidelines to add their own twist. Brazilian art is diverse within their own culture and different from other societies. In Brazil it is creativity more so than skill (to a certain extent) that makes money, and it will continue to be this way for a long time. Possible twists on preexisting forms of art may be interactive art, art of motion, or even smell art.

Citations