Essential to the cultural fabric of national identity, responsible for some of the most influential artists of the 20th century and a centerpiece of the FRESCOBOL CARIOCA aesthetic: discover the Brazilian Modernism movement.

Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, 1907 - Pablo Picasso

Appearing in its earliest European iteration just after the first World War, modernism surged as a direct objection to the classical, traditional methods regarded as gospel in the XIX century. Disillusioned by the perils brought on by war, writers and painters began to reject the assumed status quo of their respective fields, opting instead to push the boundaries of what was considered “art”. This manifested itself into Cubism, Surrealism, Bauhaus, Dadaism, among other sub-movements dictated by expressionist avant-garde characteristics.

Posters for the Semana da Arte Moderna, 1922

Contemporarily with the rise of the movement in the West, Brazil’s national population had begun to grow exponentially due to large-scale immigration propagated by the war. This influx of people and cultures brought with it the need for urbanization and national identity, all in a country that was still in its industrial infancy. It is within this context that, in 1922, the Semana da Arte Moderna (Modern Art Week) opened in São Paulo, marking the centennial of Brazil’s independence and the unofficial starting point for the Brazilian Modernism movement. 

Clockwise from left: Mario de Andrade, 1927 - Lasar Segall; Victor Brecheret; Self-Portrait, 1922 - Anita Malfatti; Portrait of Oswald de Andrade, 1922 - Tarsila do Amaral; Self-Portrait Reading, 1970 - Di Cavalcanti; Heitor Villa-Lobos

This seminal week had a clear, unilateral goal: the rupturing of pre-established, typically European, conventions, and to solidify a commitment to cultural independence and a uniquely Brazilian aesthetic point of view. Among its founding participants were painters Anita Malfatti and Di Cavalcanti, sculptor Victor Brecheret, musician Heitor Villa-Lobos, and writers Mário de Andrade and Oswald de Andrade–all of whom have become international luminaries. 

Clockwise from left: Lavrador de Café, 1934 - Cândido Portinari; Calçadão de Copacabana, Roberto Burle Marx; Statue of Carlos Drummond de Andrade, Rio de Janeiro; Operários, 1933 - Tarsila do Amaral; Statue of Clarice Lispector, Rio de Janeiro; Catedral de Brasília, Oscar Niemeyer; Bananal, 1927 - Lasar Segall; Abaporu, 1928 - Tarsila do Amaral

This renewed sense of identity carved out an entirely new path for Brazilian intellectuals. In the following years, it was these beginnings that inspired legends of the Brazilian cultural landscape, including Tarsila do Amaral, Cândido Portinari, Lasar Segall, Carlos Drummond de Andrade, Clarice Lispector, Oscar Niemeyer and Roberto Burle Marx, among so many others.

The influence of the modernist movement is immeasurable on the weaving of Brazil’s sociocultural tapestry. Its boundless effect on the country as a whole can be attributed to an unwavering devotion to creating an artistic national identity that reflects the complexities of its multifaceted people. 

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