Antônio Rafael Pinto Bandeira

Not to be confused with Rafael Pinto Bandeira (1740-1795), the Brazilian caudilho.
Antônio Rafael Pinto Bandeira
Born March 9, 1863
Niterói
Died August 28, 1896 (aged 33)
Rio de Janeiro

Antônio Rafael Pinto Bandeira (1863-1896) was an Afro-Brazilian painter and art professor.

Biography

He was descended from slaves and his father was a tailor. At the age of sixteen, he entered the Academia Imperial de Belas Artes (AIBA). From 1879 to 1884, he studied with João Zeferino da Costa.[1] He was a regular participant in the "Exposições Geral de Belas Artes", where he won the Gold Medal for history painting in 1883. His first personal exhibition came in 1886 at AIBA.[1]

In 1887, after failing to win a contest that would have enabled him to study in Europe and urged on by his friend Firmino Monteiro, he moved to Salvador,[2] where he became the Professor of Design and Landscapes at the "Liceu de Artes e Ofícios".

Returning to his hometown in 1890 he tried, unsuccessfully, to establish his own art school.[1] He continued to exhibit successfully, but became depressed at having his efforts to launch the school repeatedly thwarted. He drowned in Guanabara Bay, apparently while attempting to launch a boat, although his family and the press suggested that it may have been suicide.[2] The body was not recovered for almost two weeks, so he was buried without an autopsy.

His painting "Lenhador" (Woodcutter) appeared on a two-part commemorative stamp in 2013,[2] together with a painting by Georgian artist Niko Pirosmani, to mark the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Selected paintings

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Brief biography @ the Enciclopédia ItaúCultural.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Biography @ the Prefeitura Niterói website.

Further reading

External links

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