Tarsila and the birth of Brazilian Modern Art
"Urutu Viper (Urutu)" by Tarsila do Amaral. 1928. Oil on canvas. Coleção Gilberto Chateaubriand, Museu de Arte Moderna, Rio de Janeiro.
In her native country, Tarsila do Amaral (or simply, Tarsila) is known as "the Picasso of Brazil," and is considered the mother of Brazilian Modern Art.
Long unfamiliar to North American audiences, she is now the subject of an exhibition, "Tarsila do Amaral: Inventing Modern Art in Brazil," currently at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
Portrait
Tarsila do Amaral (pictured c. 1921) was born in 1886 in Sao Paulo on a coffee plantation. Her family's wealth allowed her to travel to Paris - a single woman determined to become a modern artist. She absorbed the avant garde trends of artists such as Pablo Picasso, Constantin Brâncuși, and Fernand Léger, among others, but instead of adhering to abstract forms, she carved her own path.
"A Negra"
Pictured: "A Negra" by Tarsila do Amaral. 1923. Oil on canvas. 39 3/8 x 32 in. (100 x 81.3 cm). Museo de Arte Contemporânea de Universidade de São Paulo.
"She experimented with Cubism, and she kind of said, 'You know, I understand it. It's not for me,'" said James Rondeau, the director of the Art Institute of Chicago.
"She called it her 'military service'?" said CBS News' Faith Salie.
"Exactly. It was obligatory, right? She was aware of a responsibility, an ambition, a desire to somehow represent Brazil - to be a fundamentally Brazilian artist."
"A Cuca"
"A Cuca" by Tarsila do Amaral. 1924. Oil on canvas. Centre National des Arts Plastiques, Paris, France FNAC 9459.
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Tarsila painted her home country's plants and animals with whimsical surrealism and astonishing color. "Vibrant, tropical - this is not a 'European palette,'" said James Rondeau, director of the Art Institute of Chicago. "This is a palette that's trying to speak about her native Brazil, and a Brazilian sensibility."
And in "A Cuca," she paints leaves as hearts. "You have a sense of an artist who's actually having fun," Rondeau said.
"Carnival in Madureira"
Tarsila do Amaral. Carnival in Madureira (Carnaval em Madureira). 1924. Oil on canvas. 29 15/16 x 25 in. (76 x 63.5 cm). Acervo da Fundação José e Paulina Nemirovsky, em comodato com a Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo.
"Abaporu"
It was during her 20s that Tarsila created her signature style, as seen in one of her most celebrated works, "Abaporu."
Pictured: "Abaporu" by Tarsila do Amaral. 1928. Oil on canvas. Collection MALBA, Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires.
"Anthropophagy"
Her work inspired a Brazilian art movement called "anthropofagia," or cannibalism.
Pictured: "Anthropophagy (Antropofagia)" by Tarsila do Amaral. 1929. Oil on canvas. Acervo da Fundação Jose e Paulina Nemirovsky, em comodato com a Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo.
"Manifesto of Anthropophagy"
Oswald de Andrade (Brazilian, 1890–1954) with drawing by Tarsila do Amaral. "Manifesto antropófago" (Manifesto of Anthropophagy), in Revista de Antropofagia 1, no. 1 (May 1928):3. The Museum of Modern Art Library. Gift of Patricia Phelps de Cisneros through the Latin American and Caribbean Fund in honor of Paulo Herkenhoff.
"Setting Sun"
"Setting Sun (Sol poente)" by Tarsila do Amaral. 1929. Oil on canvas. Private collection, Rio de Janeiro.
"Postcard"
"Postcard (Cartão-postal)" by Tarsila do Amaral. 1929. Oil on canvas. Private collection, Rio de Janeiro.
"Study for Composition (Lonely figure) III"
"Study for Composition (Lonely figure) III [Estudo de Composição (Figura só) III]" by Tarsila do Amaral. 1930. Ink on paper. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Gift of Max Perlingeiro through the Latin American and Caribbean Fund.
Exhibition
The exhibition, which was recently held at the Art Institute of Chicago, is now open at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
Exhibition
A view of Tarsila's "Operários" (1933), at the exhibition, "Tarsila do Amaral: Inventing Modern Art in Brazil."
Portrait
But after her most prolific period in the 1920s, Tarsila's world changed; her's family wealth was lost in the Great Depression, and after a military dictatorship took over Brazil, her work became more somber and political.
Tarsila do Amaral died in 1973 at the age of 86.
Exhibition
"Tarsila do Amaral: Inventing Modern Art in Brazil" is currently at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City through June 3, 2018.
For more info:
Tarsila do Amaral: Inventing Modern Art in Brazil, at the Museum of Modern Art, New York City | Purchase tickets
Exhibition Catalogue: Tarsila do Amaral: Inventing Modern Art in Brazil
tarsiladoamaral.com.br (Official site)
By CBSNews.csom senior producer David Morgan. Story produced by Sara Kugel.