Os tetos pintados e as pinturas ornamentais na Vila de São José: Contexto histórico e artístico entre os séculos XVIII e XIX

Abstract

The present work studies the pictorial production, the painted ceilings and the ornamental picture of the religious and civic edifications of São José – the actual city of Tiradentes. These doctoral thesis treats the set of painting produced in the context of the 18th and 19th centuries, at headquarters and pursuant to that town, throught the comprehension and analyses of the envaironment that anticipated it’s production. Since the 15th century, the Portuguese already traveled several maritime routes, in contact with many cultures. From the first moments with the indigenous people in Portuguese America, started a system of exchanging material and immaterial goods. With indigenous people, Europeans and Africans, an environment of ethnic and cultural miscegenation was created. Since the beginning of the occupation of the territory that came to be Minas Gerais, mobility and cultural transit influenced artistic production, the principals and contractors for the execution of the works, including pictorial production. Men, ideas, memories, objects and printed material transited, they reached the farthest corners of Minas. Goods arrived from different places, but from here also products departed that arrived in distant stops. In this mixed-race environment, there was significant mobility, it became conducive to exchanges, appropriations and new uses of goods. The forms circulated, their images and teachings were appropriated by the painters. The modus operandis of the artists who used common sources, built personal style and enriched the regional artistic ensemble. The pictorial works executed complemented the ornamentation, with the carving and the architectural structure that came together in dialogues. From on-site records, analysis, research in archives and bibliography, efforts were made to know and understand these works. Many of them have undergone artistic restoration, this historical aspect should be investigated too. The documentation of interventions is also the object of investigation, as it may enable the understanding of the authors’ performance. In old buildings, conservation is essential to protect artistic elements, especially the paintings.