Carybé e a construção da brasilidade: arte e etnogragia para uma análise além das representações

Abstract

This dissertation examines the concept known as "brasilidade" into the work of the Argentine artist named Carybé. Through bibliography, interviews and direct observation, mainly in artistic and ethnographic fields, arts and the social context are understood as linked categories. From themes like street marketing, "candombé" to myths of the popular culture, Carybé's art is placed side by side with European and Latin American art production. Through this approach, themes that have been popular during the 20th century (mainly from the fifties on) are presented. By that time, Carybé moves to Bahia, establishing himself as one of the cultural agents, through representations among popular and learned cultures. From interviews and local observations to rituals at Rio de Janeiro and Salvador, the investigation concludes that the artist was commited with the establishiment of religious aspects that pointed towards the Brazilian way of life, once they were represented from one of the most prominent cultural groups that took part of the Brazilian identity. The recognition of the people, given to the artist, can be verifyed through the way that the great majority of the people involved with the candomblé tradition, sees Carybe as one of the greatest celebrities of the Afro-Brazilian tradition. Therefore, "brasilidade" is presented as a result of the themes used in Carybé's paintings, once analyzed through social, material and symbolic contexts.