Brazilian Identity: Avant-Garde & Cultural Cannibalism

• Brazilian independence occurred gradually and peacefully, unlike Mexico's violent revolution
• Modernization led to displacement, often ignored in narratives of independence
• Advertisements depicted idealized white people in tropical settings, linking beauty, health, and modernization

Brazilian Avant-Garde & Cultural Identity

• Oswald de Andrade's Abaporú depicts a tall indigenous figure, symbolizing Brazil's cultural cannibalism: taking European culture and making it its own
• "Cannibalism" is a metaphor for absorbing and transforming European culture into something distinctly Brazilian
• The Anthropophagous Movement aimed to reconcile Brazil's colonial past with its modern identity, embracing and adapting European art styles

Tarsila do Amaral and Brazilian Landscape

• Amaral's paintings celebrate Brazil's landscapes with rounded shapes and many flags, portraying energy and celebration.
• Her work was considered bold for showcasing Brazil's diversity, moving away from European styles.
• Amaral included her former-slave "nanny" in her art, highlighting Brazil's complex social history.

Brazilian Baroque Architecture

• Brazilian Baroque is colorful, dramatic, and detailed, designed to attract people to the Catholic Church
• Its features are meant to inspire awe and devotion
• It utilizes gold, large domes (cupolas), and intricate decorations for a lively style, emphasizing dynamism

Transculturation and the Convent of São Francisco

• The Convent of São Francisco blends European styles with Brazilian nature
• Transculturation refers to the exchange and mixing of cultural elements, exemplified by the Convent
• Blue and white tile patterning on the convent originates from China

Cannibalism in Contemporary Brazilian Art: Adriana Varejão

• Varejão uses meat and cannibalism imagery in her art to reference Brazil's history and reclaim its identity.
• Her depiction of Eve in a strong position challenges traditional views of women.
• Varejão's work critiques the violence of Portuguese colonialism, suggesting Portugal is the true "cannibal."

Modern Brazilian Architecture: Oscar Niemeyer & Brasília

• Oscar Niemeyer combined modern design with elements of Brazilian Baroque
• Niemeyer designed Brasília as a planned city with geometric shapes and white concrete to unite Brazil, but it often ignored the needs of poorer workers.
• Brasília includes an artificial lake as "Green Lungs of the City" to purify the air and separates the city from nature
• Clarissa Tossin's work shows how Brasília's residents adapted the city to their needs, creating paths for walking.
• Brasília's planning did not consider the needs of low-wage workers, highlighting social inequalities

Uruguayan Art & the School of the South

• Joaquín Torres-García's School of the South aimed to create a unique Latin American art style, rejecting European dominance.
• Torres-García's inverted map of South America symbolizes reversing colonial power dynamics, putting the South at the center.
• The School of the South sought to create universal art that crossed national boundaries, using geometric shapes and symbols.

Pre-Columbian Andean Civilizations: Caral & Chavín

• Caral is the oldest known city in the Americas, with advanced farming and social organization

• Cotton was a major trade item in Caral, demonstrating its economic significance.

• Cotton, textile culture, and mummification practices demonstrate complex design techniques, beliefs, and social practices

• Pyramids and geometric structures show advanced urban planning (not AXIAL)

• Chavín de Huántar was a ceremonial center (the city was also a trading center)

• They traded meat from the highland people for seafood from the coast

• The temple's design creates a powerful, immersive experience for visitors, with echoing water and hallucinogenic cacti

• Old temple's axial plan made visitors eat the hallucination cactus before sunrise and sun hitting the sunken courtyard.

• AXIAL PLAN in old temple guides visitor

• Travel through small passages within the temple (hearing echoing water) to the LANZON

• STROMBUS SHELLS: were played as trumpets (the people embellished shells and took care of them a lot)

• Carvings have wings, helmets, artistic rendering of hallucinations & hybrid humans / spirit animals

• Hallucinogens were important in Chavín religious practices.

• The stone slab represents a deity and reflects Chavín religion and beliefs

• Animals were exotic rumors to people of highland Chavín

• THE NEW TEMPLE: Roofs prevent rain

• Chavín art features hybrid human and animal figures influenced by hallucinogenic experiences

Inca Empire: Sacred Landscape & Architectural Achievements

• The Inca Empire was unified through a road system, accounting tools, a unified sacred landscape, and agricultural engineering
• Huacas (such as Huaca Q'enqo and Moray) were important ceremonial sites and centers of power
• Huaca Q'enqo: Served as a place of worship and received offerings, with leaders emerging from the stones
• Moray: Advanced irrigation systems demonstrate sophisticated agricultural techniques
• Cusco's Layout: Designed in the shape of a jaguar, reflecting Inca beliefs
• Inca Stone Masonry: Known for fitting irregular stones together perfectly, creating seamless walls