Oswaldo Goeldi
Encyclopedia
Oswaldo Goeldi was a Brazilian artist
and renowned engraver, the son of Swiss naturalist
Émil Goeldi
.
Goeldi was born in Rio de Janeiro, but lived until he was 6 years old in Belém
, in the state Pará
, following his father, who had accepted the post of director of the Museu de História Natural e Etnografia do Pará (presently the Emílio Goeldi Museum). In 1910 his family returned to Switzerland
and he started his studies in Bern, and later in Zurich
. After serving for a brief period in the army during the First World War, Goeldi moved to Geneva
, where he was accepted at the École des Arts et Métiers. Frustrated with the academic environment, however, he abandoned the school after his father’s death in 1917 and began studying with artists Serge Pahnke (1875-1950) and Henri van Muyden (1860-s.d.), and later with Hermann Kümmerly, with whom he learned lithography
.
In 1919 Goeldi returned to Rio de Janeiro and began a career of engraver and illustrator
for popular magazines. He became attached to a group of vanguardist artists and intellectuals, such as Beatrix Reynal, Aníbal Machado
(1894-1964), Otto Maria Carpeaux
(1900-1978), Manuel Bandeira
(1884-1968), Álvaro Moreyra (1888-1964), Ronald de Carvalho
(1893-1935), Emiliano Di Cavalcanti
(1897-1976) and Rachel de Queiroz
(1910-2003). During this period, he worked intensely as an artist and did his first individual exposition, which was, however, poorly received by the art critics. Wounded by the criticisms, Goeldi withdrew from the artistic scene and isolated himself in the city of Niterói
. Solitary, he supported himself more and more as a well known illustrator for book editions and magazines, working mainly with xylogravures. He also became estranged from his family in 1922, refusing their appeal to return to Europe. He took part in the Week of Modern Art
in São Paulo that year. His first album, “10 Gravuras em Madeira” was edited in 1930, allowing Goeldi to save enough money to return to Europe en 1931. He exposed in Bern and Berlin
, and visited again his great inspirators, Alfred Kubin
and Hermann Kümmerli.
In the following decades, after returning to Brazil, Goeldi’s artistic prestige was strengthened, and he was accepted at the 25th Venice Bienal in 1950. He became nationally and internationally known and got his first prize, in the First International Art Bienal of São Paulo
, in 1951. From 1952 until his death, Goeldi became a respected and influential art teacher in the Escola Nacional de Belas Artes
.
He died on February 15, 1961, alone in his small apartment in Rio.
Goeldi's work has been exposed post-humously in more than a hundred expositions in Brazil, Argentina
, France
, Portugal
, Switzerland
and Spain
.
After his death several posthumous exhibitions were already accomplished with its works, and starting from Goeldi's Project creation, all collection and photographic file is classified in the Institution
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
and renowned engraver, the son of Swiss naturalist
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
Émil Goeldi
Émil Goeldi
Émil August Goeldi , was a Swiss-Brazilian naturalist and zoologist....
.
Goeldi was born in Rio de Janeiro, but lived until he was 6 years old in Belém
Belém
Belém is a Brazilian city, the capital and largest city of state of Pará, in the country's north region. It is the entrance gate to the Amazon with a busy port, airport and bus/coach station...
, in the state Pará
Pará
Pará is a state in the north of Brazil. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas and Roraima. To the northwest it also borders Guyana and Suriname, and to the northeast it borders the Atlantic Ocean. The capital is Belém.Pará is the most populous state...
, following his father, who had accepted the post of director of the Museu de História Natural e Etnografia do Pará (presently the Emílio Goeldi Museum). In 1910 his family returned to Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and he started his studies in Bern, and later in Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
. After serving for a brief period in the army during the First World War, Goeldi moved to Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, where he was accepted at the École des Arts et Métiers. Frustrated with the academic environment, however, he abandoned the school after his father’s death in 1917 and began studying with artists Serge Pahnke (1875-1950) and Henri van Muyden (1860-s.d.), and later with Hermann Kümmerly, with whom he learned lithography
Lithography
Lithography is a method for printing using a stone or a metal plate with a completely smooth surface...
.
In 1919 Goeldi returned to Rio de Janeiro and began a career of engraver and illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
for popular magazines. He became attached to a group of vanguardist artists and intellectuals, such as Beatrix Reynal, Aníbal Machado
Aníbal Machado
Aníbal Machado is a Brazilian writer born in Sabará, Minas Gerais. He was president of the Brazilian Association of Writers and received numerous awards for his novels. He was also honored by the Academia Brasileira de Letras. He is the father of playwright Maria Clara Machado.-External links:...
(1894-1964), Otto Maria Carpeaux
Otto Maria Carpeaux
Otto Maria Carpeaux , born Otto Karpfen, was a Brazilian literary critic born in Austria and multilingual scholar.Carpeaux was born in 1900 in Vienna, Austria, to a Jewish family, and lived there until 1939...
(1900-1978), Manuel Bandeira
Manuel Bandeira
Manuel Carneiro de Sousa Bandeira Filho was a poet, literary critic, and translator.Bandeira wrote over 20 books of poetry and prose. In 1904, he found out that he suffered from tuberculosis, which encouraged him to move from São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro, because of Rio's tropical beach weather...
(1884-1968), Álvaro Moreyra (1888-1964), Ronald de Carvalho
Ronald de Carvalho
Ronald de Carvalho was a Brazilian poet and diplomat from Rio de Janeiro. A street in Rio is named for him.- Works :* Luz Gloriosa * Pequena História da Literatura Brasileira...
(1893-1935), Emiliano Di Cavalcanti
Emiliano Di Cavalcanti
Emiliano Augusto Cavalcanti de Albuquerque Melo , known as Di Cavalcanti, was a Brazilian painter who sought to produce a form of Brazilian art free of any noticeable European influences...
(1897-1976) and Rachel de Queiroz
Rachel de Queiroz
Rachel de Queiroz was a Brazilian author and journalist....
(1910-2003). During this period, he worked intensely as an artist and did his first individual exposition, which was, however, poorly received by the art critics. Wounded by the criticisms, Goeldi withdrew from the artistic scene and isolated himself in the city of Niterói
Niterói
Niterói is a municipality in the state of Rio de Janeiro, southeast region of Brazil. It has an estimated population of 487,327 inhabitants and an area of ², being the sixth most populous city in the state and the highest Human Development Index. Integrates the Metropolitan Region of Rio de...
. Solitary, he supported himself more and more as a well known illustrator for book editions and magazines, working mainly with xylogravures. He also became estranged from his family in 1922, refusing their appeal to return to Europe. He took part in the Week of Modern Art
Week of Modern Art
The Modern Art Week was an arts festival in São Paulo, Brazil, that ran from February 11 to February 18, 1922...
in São Paulo that year. His first album, “10 Gravuras em Madeira” was edited in 1930, allowing Goeldi to save enough money to return to Europe en 1931. He exposed in Bern and Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, and visited again his great inspirators, Alfred Kubin
Alfred Kubin
Alfred Leopold Isidor Kubin was an Austrian printmaker, illustrator and occasional writer. Kubin is considered an important representative of Symbolism and Expressionism.-Biography:...
and Hermann Kümmerli.
In the following decades, after returning to Brazil, Goeldi’s artistic prestige was strengthened, and he was accepted at the 25th Venice Bienal in 1950. He became nationally and internationally known and got his first prize, in the First International Art Bienal of São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, in 1951. From 1952 until his death, Goeldi became a respected and influential art teacher in the Escola Nacional de Belas Artes
Escola Nacional de Belas Artes
Escola de Belas Artes is one of the centers of the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro and dates back to colonial times....
.
He died on February 15, 1961, alone in his small apartment in Rio.
Goeldi's work has been exposed post-humously in more than a hundred expositions in Brazil, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
Quote
Each trace is a piece of nerve with the vehemence of a barbarian heart ("Cada traço é um pedaço de nervo com a veemência de um coração bárbaro") - about his own work.After his death several posthumous exhibitions were already accomplished with its works, and starting from Goeldi's Project creation, all collection and photographic file is classified in the Institution
External links
- Instituition Official site. Associação Artística Cultural Oswaldo Goeldi (In Portuguese).
- Official site. Projeto Goeldi (In Portuguese).