拍品專文
Born in the Minas Gerais State during the gold rush, the works of Antonio Francisco Lisboa known as Aleijadinho (the little cripple), have become the landmark of an era, a society and a cultural identity. The name Minas Gerais - General Mines, is a direct link to its history, which started at the end of the XVII century, when the country was under Portuguese rule. Although it is a mountainous region of difficult access, it underwent a sudden development after the discovery of gold and precious stones, and religious brotherhoods quickly became real unions. The brotherhoods activated the artistic life in the region, hiring the services of architects, sculptors and painters, giving them the stimulus and freedom to exercise their creativity.
While on the Brazilian coast the baroque was imposing itself as an imported style, in Minas Gerais Aleijadinho was bringing about a revolution in terms of changes in the architectural solutions of the churches, using local raw materials and integrating sculpture with painting and architecture. Antonio Francisco Lisboa executed the entire church designs, from the initial spatial concept up to the last decorations and wood carving details. These designs were carried out in wood or steatite - a kind of talc stone common in the area, making up the most significant collection of his works, and a testament to the creative genius of the artist.
Bastard son of the Portuguese carpenter master Manuel Francisco Lisboa and his slave Isabel, Alejadinho was born in Ouro Preto. Not much is known about his life. Although foreign travelers to the Minas region allude in their diaries to the existence of a crippled and genial sculptor, it was only in 1858 that the professor and politician Rodrigo Jose Ferreira Bretas published the first biography of Antonio Francisco Lisboa, based on testimonies of people who knew the artist (among them his daughter in law, the midwife Joana Lopes, aged 85 at the time). Ferreira Bretas traces the life of Aleijadinho using a combination of folk oral tradition and consensus.
Although he was educated, tutored by his father, even learning Latin, it seems he had no formal artistic instruction. However, he was deeply marked by biblical passages and his work indicates that he had access to European religious engravings, mainly German. Of a classical and precious taste, marked by the dominance of proportion, anatomy and planning, his work gradually became daring, losing its initial idyllic serenity, culminating with dramatic expressionist sculptures.
It is certain that from an early age Aleijadinho suffered from a progressive and incurable disease that paralyzed his arms and legs. It was said that the two last decades of his life were marked by pain and physical deformities, making him misogynous and isolated. However, this did not restrict him from working; he asked his slaves to tie his tools to what remained of his arms.
His most famous works, the giant prophets and the 64 images of the Passion Steps, at Congonhas do Campo, date from these last years. The present sculpture, Our Lady of Sorrows, is a fine example of this period. It shows the characteristics of a phase marked by the paradox of an advanced disease and boundless freedom. The Virgin holds her detached heart with her left hand while gesturing with her right one in painful supplication. The hand extends from the wrist in a right angle, frontally exposing the lines of her destiny. "A sword will trespass your heart" old Simeon told her since early age. Seated, in a noble pose, she has a perplexed look, lost amidst her pain. The robes are treated with voluminous angles, in incisive and decided carving. The artist's capacity of expressing such intense drama stems from a deep faith and a precise knowledge of the sculpture's placement in order to uphold the viewer's belief.
An acknowledged and admired sculptor in his time, Alejadinho's works traveled through the entire province, imparting beauty to many churches, chapels, and household praying altars. Contemporary to the apogee and decadence of the gold cycle in Minas Gerais, Aleijadinho embodies the genius of the creative universe of Brazil.
Jos Alberto Nemer
So Paulo, March 1998
Nascida nas Minas Gerais do ciclo do ouro, a obra de Antonio Francisco Lisboa, o Aleijadinho, fundamenta a arte brasileira como marco de uma poca, de uma sociedade e de uma identidade cultural.
O nome Minas Gerais diretamente ligado a sua histria, iniciada em fins do sculo XVII, quando o pas se encontrava sob domnio portugues. Regio de estrutura montanhosa e de difcil acesso, desenvolveu-se subitamente sob o impacto das descobertas de ouro, pedras preciosas e irmandades religiosas que iriam rapidamente tomar a forma de verdadeiros sindicatos. Essas confrarias ativaram a vida artstica da regio, contratando os servicos de arquitetos, escultores e pintores, dando-Ihes estmulo e a liberdade para suas criaces.
Enquanto o barroco se impunha no litoral brasileiro como um estilo importado, em Minas Gerais o Aleijadinho ia modificando e revolucionando as soluces arquitetonicas das igrejas, utilizando materiais da regio, integrando a escultura a pintura e a arquitetura. Antonio Francisco Lisboa assinou projetos de templos, encarregando-se desde sua concepco espacial at seus ltimos detalhes de decoraco e talha. Essas ltimas, executadas em madeira ou esteatita - uma espcie de pedra de talco comun na regio - constituem o acervo mais significativo de sua obra e onde seu genio criador se expressa plenamente.
Filho ilegtimo do mestre de carpintaria portugues Manuel Francisco Lisboa com sua escrava Isabel, Aleijadinho naseu em Ouro Preto. Sabe-se muito pouco sobre sua vida. Embora viajantes estrangeiros em Minas, j fizessem aluses, em seus dirios, a existencia de um escultor aleijado e genial. S em 1858, o professor Rodrigo Jos Ferreira Bretas, publica a primeira biografia de Antonio Francisco Lisboa. Baseado em depoimentos de pessoass que teriam conhecido o artista (entre elas, sua nora, a parteira Joana Lopes, ento com 85 anos). Ferreira Bretas traou um perfil do Aleijadinho em que se mesclam dados de consenso com outros, vindo da tradico oral popular.
Embora tenha se formado com a ajuda do pai, aprendendo inclusive o latim, no consta que tivese tido instruco artstica formal. Profundamente marcado por passagens da Bblia, teria tido, ao que tudo indica, acesso a gravuras religiosas europias, sobretudo alems. De gosto clssico e precioso, marcada pelo domnio da proporco, da anatomia e do planejamento, sua obra vai se tornando, aos poucos, rude e ousada, culminando com esculturas de aspecto francamente expressionista.
certo, entretanto, que desde muito jovem, Aleijadinho sofria de uma doenca incurvel e progressiva, que acabou por Ihe paralizar seus braos e pernas. Conta-se que as duas ltimas dcadas de sua vida foram marcadas por sofrimento atroz, com dores e deformaces, tornando-se arredio e isolado. Isso no o impedia de trabalhar, fazendo com que seus escravos amarrasem os instrumentos no que Ihe restava dos braos.
So dessa fase suas obras mais clebres, como os monumentais profetas e as 64 imagens dos Passos da Paixo, em Congonhas do Campo. A presente escultura, Nossa Senhora das Dores, um bom exemplo deste perodo. Ela traz as caractersticas de uma fase marcada pelo paradoxo entre a angstia da doenca avancada e a liberdade sem concesses. Segurando com a mo esquerda o coraco que se destaca no peito, a Virgem estende o braco direito em dolorosa splica. A mo sai do pulso em angulo reto, expondo de frente as linhas do destino. "Uma espada transpassar tua alma", revelou-Ihe desde cedo o velho Simeo. Sentada em hiertica postura, ela tem o olhar perplexo perdido em meio a sua dor. Muito da capacidade de expresso desse drama, o artista consegue com uma sbia noco de fotogenia, cujo volume se desenha tridimensionalmente no espaco gracas a inciso da luz.
Como um escultor j reconhecido e admirado em sua poca, a obra de Aleijadinho viajou pelo interior da provincia, dando qualidades as muitas igrejas, capelas, ermidas ou simples oratrios caseiros. Contemporaneo do apogeu e da decadencia do ouro em Minas Gerais, Aleijadinho encerra o que h de mais original no universo criativo do Brasil.
Jos Alberto Nemer
So Paulo, Marco de 1998
This work is part of the National Heritage of Brazil and cannot be removed from that country. Accordingly, it is offered for sale in New York from the catalogue and will not be available in New York. Delivery of the work will be made in Brazil in compliance with all local requirements. Prospective buyers may contact Christie's representatives in Brazil for an appointment to view the work.
While on the Brazilian coast the baroque was imposing itself as an imported style, in Minas Gerais Aleijadinho was bringing about a revolution in terms of changes in the architectural solutions of the churches, using local raw materials and integrating sculpture with painting and architecture. Antonio Francisco Lisboa executed the entire church designs, from the initial spatial concept up to the last decorations and wood carving details. These designs were carried out in wood or steatite - a kind of talc stone common in the area, making up the most significant collection of his works, and a testament to the creative genius of the artist.
Bastard son of the Portuguese carpenter master Manuel Francisco Lisboa and his slave Isabel, Alejadinho was born in Ouro Preto. Not much is known about his life. Although foreign travelers to the Minas region allude in their diaries to the existence of a crippled and genial sculptor, it was only in 1858 that the professor and politician Rodrigo Jose Ferreira Bretas published the first biography of Antonio Francisco Lisboa, based on testimonies of people who knew the artist (among them his daughter in law, the midwife Joana Lopes, aged 85 at the time). Ferreira Bretas traces the life of Aleijadinho using a combination of folk oral tradition and consensus.
Although he was educated, tutored by his father, even learning Latin, it seems he had no formal artistic instruction. However, he was deeply marked by biblical passages and his work indicates that he had access to European religious engravings, mainly German. Of a classical and precious taste, marked by the dominance of proportion, anatomy and planning, his work gradually became daring, losing its initial idyllic serenity, culminating with dramatic expressionist sculptures.
It is certain that from an early age Aleijadinho suffered from a progressive and incurable disease that paralyzed his arms and legs. It was said that the two last decades of his life were marked by pain and physical deformities, making him misogynous and isolated. However, this did not restrict him from working; he asked his slaves to tie his tools to what remained of his arms.
His most famous works, the giant prophets and the 64 images of the Passion Steps, at Congonhas do Campo, date from these last years. The present sculpture, Our Lady of Sorrows, is a fine example of this period. It shows the characteristics of a phase marked by the paradox of an advanced disease and boundless freedom. The Virgin holds her detached heart with her left hand while gesturing with her right one in painful supplication. The hand extends from the wrist in a right angle, frontally exposing the lines of her destiny. "A sword will trespass your heart" old Simeon told her since early age. Seated, in a noble pose, she has a perplexed look, lost amidst her pain. The robes are treated with voluminous angles, in incisive and decided carving. The artist's capacity of expressing such intense drama stems from a deep faith and a precise knowledge of the sculpture's placement in order to uphold the viewer's belief.
An acknowledged and admired sculptor in his time, Alejadinho's works traveled through the entire province, imparting beauty to many churches, chapels, and household praying altars. Contemporary to the apogee and decadence of the gold cycle in Minas Gerais, Aleijadinho embodies the genius of the creative universe of Brazil.
Jos Alberto Nemer
So Paulo, March 1998
Nascida nas Minas Gerais do ciclo do ouro, a obra de Antonio Francisco Lisboa, o Aleijadinho, fundamenta a arte brasileira como marco de uma poca, de uma sociedade e de uma identidade cultural.
O nome Minas Gerais diretamente ligado a sua histria, iniciada em fins do sculo XVII, quando o pas se encontrava sob domnio portugues. Regio de estrutura montanhosa e de difcil acesso, desenvolveu-se subitamente sob o impacto das descobertas de ouro, pedras preciosas e irmandades religiosas que iriam rapidamente tomar a forma de verdadeiros sindicatos. Essas confrarias ativaram a vida artstica da regio, contratando os servicos de arquitetos, escultores e pintores, dando-Ihes estmulo e a liberdade para suas criaces.
Enquanto o barroco se impunha no litoral brasileiro como um estilo importado, em Minas Gerais o Aleijadinho ia modificando e revolucionando as soluces arquitetonicas das igrejas, utilizando materiais da regio, integrando a escultura a pintura e a arquitetura. Antonio Francisco Lisboa assinou projetos de templos, encarregando-se desde sua concepco espacial at seus ltimos detalhes de decoraco e talha. Essas ltimas, executadas em madeira ou esteatita - uma espcie de pedra de talco comun na regio - constituem o acervo mais significativo de sua obra e onde seu genio criador se expressa plenamente.
Filho ilegtimo do mestre de carpintaria portugues Manuel Francisco Lisboa com sua escrava Isabel, Aleijadinho naseu em Ouro Preto. Sabe-se muito pouco sobre sua vida. Embora viajantes estrangeiros em Minas, j fizessem aluses, em seus dirios, a existencia de um escultor aleijado e genial. S em 1858, o professor Rodrigo Jos Ferreira Bretas, publica a primeira biografia de Antonio Francisco Lisboa. Baseado em depoimentos de pessoass que teriam conhecido o artista (entre elas, sua nora, a parteira Joana Lopes, ento com 85 anos). Ferreira Bretas traou um perfil do Aleijadinho em que se mesclam dados de consenso com outros, vindo da tradico oral popular.
Embora tenha se formado com a ajuda do pai, aprendendo inclusive o latim, no consta que tivese tido instruco artstica formal. Profundamente marcado por passagens da Bblia, teria tido, ao que tudo indica, acesso a gravuras religiosas europias, sobretudo alems. De gosto clssico e precioso, marcada pelo domnio da proporco, da anatomia e do planejamento, sua obra vai se tornando, aos poucos, rude e ousada, culminando com esculturas de aspecto francamente expressionista.
certo, entretanto, que desde muito jovem, Aleijadinho sofria de uma doenca incurvel e progressiva, que acabou por Ihe paralizar seus braos e pernas. Conta-se que as duas ltimas dcadas de sua vida foram marcadas por sofrimento atroz, com dores e deformaces, tornando-se arredio e isolado. Isso no o impedia de trabalhar, fazendo com que seus escravos amarrasem os instrumentos no que Ihe restava dos braos.
So dessa fase suas obras mais clebres, como os monumentais profetas e as 64 imagens dos Passos da Paixo, em Congonhas do Campo. A presente escultura, Nossa Senhora das Dores, um bom exemplo deste perodo. Ela traz as caractersticas de uma fase marcada pelo paradoxo entre a angstia da doenca avancada e a liberdade sem concesses. Segurando com a mo esquerda o coraco que se destaca no peito, a Virgem estende o braco direito em dolorosa splica. A mo sai do pulso em angulo reto, expondo de frente as linhas do destino. "Uma espada transpassar tua alma", revelou-Ihe desde cedo o velho Simeo. Sentada em hiertica postura, ela tem o olhar perplexo perdido em meio a sua dor. Muito da capacidade de expresso desse drama, o artista consegue com uma sbia noco de fotogenia, cujo volume se desenha tridimensionalmente no espaco gracas a inciso da luz.
Como um escultor j reconhecido e admirado em sua poca, a obra de Aleijadinho viajou pelo interior da provincia, dando qualidades as muitas igrejas, capelas, ermidas ou simples oratrios caseiros. Contemporaneo do apogeu e da decadencia do ouro em Minas Gerais, Aleijadinho encerra o que h de mais original no universo criativo do Brasil.
Jos Alberto Nemer
So Paulo, Marco de 1998
This work is part of the National Heritage of Brazil and cannot be removed from that country. Accordingly, it is offered for sale in New York from the catalogue and will not be available in New York. Delivery of the work will be made in Brazil in compliance with all local requirements. Prospective buyers may contact Christie's representatives in Brazil for an appointment to view the work.