ONE: Larissa Moraes

Larissa Moraes

A challenge I overcame: To conquer my independence and to lose the fear to live alone.

A dream for my future: To know many different cultures.

A hope for the global community: That people concern themselves more about those near to them and respect differences.

Larissa is an absolutely brilliant Portuguese teacher, and incredibly responsive to the individual tastes of we students it seems, because in response to my interest in art she brought in numerous references and articles about Brazilian art and artists to our afternoon lessons for my third week.  Hugely stimulating and hugely appreciated - muito obrigada Larissa!

Some of the highlights from our classes were:

1. Romero Britto

Contemporary Brazilian artist and icon of modern pop culture, Romero Britto was commissioned in 2007 to produce a sculpture to celebrate the return of Tutankhamen to London (return?? why 'return' when Tutankhamen is Egyptian?) and created a bright and colourful four-storey high pyramid that was displayed at Speakers Corner in Hyde Park for 30 days.  During the process of research and preparation Britto also invited 1500 local London children to attend paint workshops at the O2 centre - lovely :-)

Romero Britto (images from online image search)Abaporu (left) in response to Tarsila do Amaral's famous painting.  Hyde Park Tutankhamen pyramid (right)

2. Tarsila do Amaral 

                         Abaporu (left) and Tarsila do Amaral herself (right)

This painting Abaporu by Tarsila do Amaral is apparently the most expensive Brazilian painting of all time, having reached $1.4 million US.  The title is constructed from the Tupi-Guaraní language, 'aba' meaning 'man', 'pora' meaning people and 'u' meaning 'eat'.  Larissa explained that this was significant for Amaral in the context of Brazilian modernist art, marking the break away from Europe.  The large hands and feet apparently reflect an era when manual work and connection to the land was valued over intellectual ability, hence the tiny head.  This is the painting that inspired Romero Britto's re-interpretation above.

3. Semana de Arte, 1922

A weeklong series of art exhibitions and poetry performance that marked the beginning of Modernism in Brazil, the Semana de Arte, or Modern Art Week festial, was held in São Paolo in 1922.  Looking at photos from the time it seems there were predominantly artists, though Larissa pointed out painter Anita Malfatti and a few other women in one photo.  The group wanted to be autonomous and break away from both European influence and traditional painting, and produced imagery and poetry that at the time was hugely misunderstood and criticized (a sign perhaps of just how groundbreaking it was?).

4. The Parintins Folkloric Festival

Held yearly on the island Parintins in the very north of the country, Parintins is second only to the famous Carnival in terms of scale, colour and explosive energy.... here's a video clip taster:

The festival as Larissa explained it is a competition between two teams who present the national folk tale of the Boi, the legend of the resurrected ox that prompted the tradition of Boi-de-Mamão that Dayane had chatted with us about on our visit to Santo Antônio de Lisboa.  The two teams compete in a stadium equal in size to a football stadium, presenting the same story, but each year with a different theme, through folkloric dance, music, poetry and song.  Stunning... (and a little hopeful voice in my head is wondering will I have a chance to make it that far north at the end of this coming June?!)  

5. The 2^nd February: Dia de Lamanjá and Dia deNossa Senhora dos Navegantes

This is a day of celebration, costume, music and dancing in Bahia in the north of Brazil, and a great example of the warmth and co-operation between the religious traditions with Afro-Brazilian roots and those of Portuguese-Catholic roots, which it seems is common in Brazil.  Apparently on the morning of the 2^nd Afro-Brazilians decorate church steps with flowers while Catholics celebrate mass inside, and when mass is over the two groups head side-by-side to the sea to send more flowers out on the water, alongside boats carrying statues of Lamanja or Nossa Senhora.  What a beautiful image of peace and harmony between different religious groups... this seems to be a characteristic of Brazilian culture, reflected in the Boi celebrations also.. brilliant! :-)

Larissa, muito obrigada por todo as aulas e todo que me ensinou sobre Brazil e o sue arte, foi um prazer enorme!  Espero que desfrutou seus férias em São Paolo.
 Sorte com todos seus planes para viajar e seus estudos de italiano.
Um abraço.

:-)