Cândido Portinari 1903 - 1962

Collection of the Ambassador T.O. Vahervuori, former Ambassador to Brazil from Finland (acquired in 1956)
Thence by descent to the present owner

Pedro Tinoco, "Portinari em bytes," Veja, São Paulo, October 26, 1994, discussed
Projeto Portinari, Candido Portinari: Catalogue Raisonné, Volume IV 1955-1960, Rio de Janeiro, 2003-2004, p. 187, no. 3862, illustrated in color

The canvas is unlined and well stretched. There is no evidence of inpainting under ultraviolet light. Overall in excellent condition.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The Brazilian modern painter Cândido Portinari famously summarized his approach to his choice of subject matter as follows, "I decided to paint the Brazilian reality, naked and crude, as it is." Indeed, Portinari's oeuvre may be seen in the context of the Mexican muralist and other Latin American modernists equally interested in depicting the social reality of their respective countries. However, Portinari's images evoke the nobility and strength of the working classes. Of particular note in his repertoire of social types is the legendary 19^th century and early 20^th century figure of the cangaceiro—a mythic-like character whose very essence has been conflated in the public imagination—conversely viewed as an outlaw and bandit by some and a popular hero by others.  The term cangaciero is derived from the word cangaço which literally refers to a canga or yoke used to harness oxen to a cart as well as those used to restrain a fugitive slave.

Interestingly towards the end of his life, Portinari made numerous works depicting Brazil's legendary cangaceiros including a series of drawings to illustrate José Lins do Rogo's book O Cangaceiros published by O Cruziero magazine in the early 1950s. And like much of his production, Portinari resisted the temptation to romanticize or caricaturize these quintessentially Brazilian characters, but rather true to his aforementioned dictum, his paintings and drawings, such as this present example reveal the inherent complexities of this marginal figure, at once fearless and feared—or perhaps as the artist would say "naked and crude"—as they were.