Robespierre de Farias (XX) - Portrait of Afro-Brazilian Baiana

*Portrait of a Baiana - Afro-Brazilian Painting - Robespierre de Farias (Bahia 1938) - Signed and Dated 12-07-1938 - Oil 33x46 cm* --- *Full Description:* *A Magnificent Baiana from Bahia - A testimony of Afro-Brazilian identity* We present this important oil on canvas / board depicting a traditional *Baiana*, by the Brazilian artist *Robespierre de Farias, signed and dated in Bahia on 12-07-1938.* Signed lower right "R. de Farias 1938" and inscribed upper left with handwritten annotation by the artist "Bahia 12-7-38". The work portrays with great sensitivity and color a Afro-Brazilian woman dressed in the typical Bahian costume: the turban (torço or ojá), the white lace blouse, the blue pano da costa and the bead necklaces and golden balangandãs. Her luminous smile and direct gaze convey great dignity and joy of living. *ABOUT THE ARTIST: Robespierre de Farias* Robespierre de Farias was a Brazilian painter active in the first half of the 20th century, linked to the School of Fine Arts of Bahia. He was part of that generation of regional painters who, in the 1930s, in the midst of the Brazilian modernist movement driven by Portinari and Di Cavalcanti, sought to revalue national identity through its people. While the official academy portrayed the white elite, painters like De Farias turned their gaze to the Bahian people, their traditions and cults, becoming pictorial chroniclers of Afro-descendant culture. *IMPORTANCE OF AFRO-BRAZILIAN PAINTING AND THE BAIANA* This work belongs to the Afro-Brazilian painting movement, fundamental to understanding Brazilian art. The figure of the Baiana, with her Yoruba cultural heritage, is much more than a folkloric costume; she is a symbol of resistance, of the Candomblé religion, of gastronomy and motherhood, declared Intangible Heritage of Brazil. In the 1930s, Bahia was the cultural epicenter of this vindication. Portraits like this one, dated 1938, are historical documents of an era when the modern image of Brazil was being constructed: mestizo, black and deeply Bahian. The technique shows a loose and luminous brushstroke, with a very balanced palette of blues, whites and ochres. Great attention to the detail of the lace and jewelry. *Technical Details* Artist: Robespierre de Farias (Brazil, active 20th Century) Title: Portrait of a Smiling Baiana Signature and Date: Signed "R. de Farias 1938" lower right. Inscribed and dated "Bahia 12-07-1938" upper left Technique: Oil on canvas / canvas board Measurements: 33 x 46 cm (painting) Frame: Period gilt frame (delivered framed) Condition: Good condition. Craquelure and patina consistent with age. Vivid and fresh colors. See photographs. *Packaging and Shipping* Professional and very secure packaging will be provided, with total protection against shocks and humidity. Insured shipping with tracking. *A rare work, signed, dated in Bahia in 1938 and full of history. A jewel of Afro-Brazilian painting, increasingly sought after by international collectors.*

Estimate:$449.18

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