Tarsila Do Amaral and The Tensions of Brazilian Modernism

A View Through the Perspectives of Gender and Race

Authors

  • Helena Wilhelm Eilers MATERIA Centro de Investigación en Arte, Materia y Cultura (IIAC-UNTREF), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24215/24691488e125

Keywords:

modernism, brazilian art, Tarsila do Amaral, gender, race

Abstract

Over a hundred years after the 1922 Modern Art Week, critical revisions have challenged the hegemonic narratives that defined modernism in Brazil. Among the most prominent figures of the period, Tarsila do Amaral (1886–1973) reemerges as a symbol of its contradictions. This article explores current discussions surrounding her trajectory, with emphasis on issues of gender and race. These themes reflect, more broadly, new critical approaches to modernism. The first part examines her ambivalent inscription in the artistic canon through the contributions of Ana Paula Simioni (2022). The second part revisits analyses by Renata Felinto and Igor Simões on the representation and representativity of Black people in that period, as well as their echoes in contemporary productions.

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References

Amaral, T. do. (23 de febrero de 1972). Tarsila do Amaral: a última entrevista [Tarsila do Amaral: la última entrevista]. Entrevistada por Leo Gilson Ribeiro. Revista Veja, 25–31. https://leogilsonribeiro.com.br/_pdf/volume-5.pdf

Barros, R. T. de. (2009). Cronología. En Tarsila do Amaral [Catálogo] (p. 235). Fundación Juan March.

Carrera, F. y Meirinho, D. (2020). Mulheres negras nas artes visuais: modos de resistência às imagens coloniais de controle [Las mujeres negras en las artes visuales: formas de resistencia a las imágenes coloniales de control]. Revista Eco-Pós, 23(3), 55–81.

Felinto, R. (2017). Axexê da negra ou o descanso das mulheres que mereciam serem amadas [Axexê da negra o el descanso de las mujeres que merecían ser amadas] [Página web de la artista]. https://bit.ly/3ANoguS

Felinto, R. (2022). Representação, representatividade e necropolítica nas artes visuais [Representación, representatividad y necropolítica en las artes visuales]. En G. de Andrade y J. Schwartz (Orgs.), Modernismos 1922–2022 (pp. 662–686). Companhia das Letras.

Ferreira, L. (6 de junio de 2022). Professora da Unifesp analisa quadro “A Negra”, de Tarsila, e fala da faceta cronista da artista [Profesora de la UNIFESP analiza el cuadro “A Negra” de Tarsila y habla de la faceta cronista de la artista]. Agenda Tarsila. https://web.archive.org/web/20220607000931/https://agendatarsila.com.br/entrevistas/professora-da-unifesp-analisa-quadro-a-negra-de-tarsila-e-fala-da-faceta-cronistada-artista/

Lafont, A. (2022). Uma africana no Louvre [Una africana en el Louvre] (L. F. Ferreira, Trad.). Bazar do Tempo.

Mendonça, R. S. R. de. (2016). Tarsila do Amaral: seu legado como objeto de memória e consumo (1995–2015) [Tarsila do Amaral: su legado como objeto de memoria y consumo (1995–2015)] [Tesis doctoral, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais]. http://hdl.handle.net/1843/BUBD-AQNKAA

Simioni, A. P. (2022). Mulheres modernistas: estratégias de consagração na arte brasileira [Mujeres modernistas: estrategias de consagración en el arte brasileño]. Edusp.

Simões, I. M. (2019). Onde estão os negros? Apagamentos, racialização e insubmissões na arte brasileira [¿Dónde están los negros? Borrados, racialización e insumisiones en el arte brasileño]. PORTO ARTE: Revista de Artes Visuais, 24(42). https://doi.org/10.22456/2179-8001.98263

Simões, I. M. (2022). Racialização e essencialização: perversidade e racismo nos enquadramentos de negros e negras nas artes visuais brasileiras [Racialización y esencialización: perversidad y racismo en la representación de hombres y mujeres negros en las artes visuales brasileñas]. Arte & Ensaios, 28(43), 262–281.

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Published

2025-12-15

How to Cite

Eilers, H. W. . (2025). Tarsila Do Amaral and The Tensions of Brazilian Modernism: A View Through the Perspectives of Gender and Race. Arte E Investigación, (28), e125. https://doi.org/10.24215/24691488e125

Issue

No. 28 (2025): Arte e investigación 28

Section

Articles

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