Raimundo de Oliveira

Raimundo de Oliveira (Feira de Santana, BA, 1930 - Salvador, BA, 1966)

Raimundo de Oliveira was an engraver, painter, and draftsman. He began his artistic career under the influence of his mother, a religious painter, who encouraged both his drawing and painting, as well as his religious experience. Encouraged by his drawing teacher, he held his first exhibition at the Santanópolis Gymnasium, where he portrayed the school's teachers. After completing high school in 1947, he moved to Salvador, where he attended regular painting courses with Maria Célia Amado at the School of Fine Arts of the University of Bahia and met artists Mario Cravo Júnior and Jenner Augusto.

His first solo exhibition took place in 1951, in the hall of the Feira de Santana City Hall, where he became acquainted with a group of independent artists responsible for the Cadernos da Bahia (Bahia Notebooks). He lived in São Paulo between 1958 and 1964, later returning to Bahia. Between 1965 and 1966, he resided in Rio de Janeiro. In 1966, the year of his suicide, the book "Little Bible of Raimundo de Oliveira. Woodcuts" was published, edited by Julio Pacello, with a foreword by Jorge Amado, and published by the Bonino and Petite Galerie galleries.

In 1982, the artist's second album, Via Crucis, was published by the Bahia State Cultural Foundation, and the Raimundo de Oliveira Gallery opened in Salvador.

Critical Commentary

Raimundo de Oliveira's work—drawing, gouache, oil, and engraving—develops the religious universe, with saints, images, and biblical scenes represented in various ways. Critics tend to distinguish two phases in his production based on the variations observed in the treatment of the theme. In the 1950s and 1960s, compositions with somber colors and an expressionist character predominate—figures marked by painful and dramatic lines, defined with India ink and black outlines, such as Head of Christ, 1957, Crucified, n.d., and Moses, 1960—and some interpretations show affinities with the paintings of Georges Rouault. At other times, the canvases approach small plots, elaborated with the help of small figures (more humorous than tragic, due to their deformations and disproportions), which are repeated due to the situations presented. Geometrically structured by a balance of horizontal and vertical planes, the new canvases possess a particular dynamism, achieved through spaces constructed around circles. The energy of vibrant colors and the dynamism of the canvas are salient features of this phase, as seen in Jacob's Dream, n.d. In addition to the symbolist influences and the naive art of Henri Rousseau, echoes of Brazilian Northeastern folk art are perceptible in this phase. The religious universe is interpreted through the lens of festivals and popular religiosity, often blending with the profane world—processions, bumba-meu-boi, domestic altars, etc. The plots and modes of representation, in turn, recall the art of Northeastern engravers and ceramists. Elements taken from the national landscape, such as tropical trees and animals, are another way of articulating the erudite and the popular, the universal and the national—Jesus in the Garden of Olives, 1962, and Arrival in Jerusalem, 1964.

Reviews

"And then everyone realized that the burel was not a burel, it was an old raincoat, and the staff was not a staff, it was paintbrushes. And there was a canvas and the person painting. Some wanted to stone him, considering him a swindler from abroad, but others recognized the pilgrim and approached him, calling him Mundinho familiarly. For he was Raimundo de Oliveira, a native son, a vagrant since childhood, with no talent for work, except for scribing on paper, if that's what work is. He had been gone for a long time; there was no news of him. Now he appeared suddenly, and around his large head hovered a magical atmosphere, as if surrounded by the light of dawn. (...)

This painter, this great painter of the Bible and Bahia, the one who cleaned up the violence of the Old Testament and made it velvety soft, the one who filled flowers the harsh ancient tragedy, this young man with a timid voice and a sure certainty, this Raimundo de Oliveira is a prophet with the soul of Francis of Assisi. Only Bahia could produce him, on the roads of the city where the sertão is born; only Bahia could nourish him and offer him to the galleries of the south, to glory and fame, for his Bible has the breath of Candomblé (if he hadn't been the son of a mother named Senhora de Ôpo Afonjá and hadn't learned to cook with Olga do Aleketu). A master painter, I know of no other who has grown so much in his art, remaining so faithful to the dreams of his childhood, to the hopes of his Mother, and to his hidden treasure. (...)

Raimundo de Oliveira (...) didn't stay in Bahia. He was a prophet and had to carry his prophecy throughout the world. He had to travel the roads and linger in distant lands. He wanders here and there, but it is to Bahia that he comes to feed on land, animals, God, and love; it is to Bahia that he comes, humble and victorious, relearn the mystery of man and his need for peace and abundance."
Jorge Amado - 1966
AMADO, Jorge. [Words]. In: OLIVEIRA, Raimundo de. Little Bible of Raimundo de Oliveira. Woodcuts. Foreword by Jorge Amado; organized by Julio A. Pacello. São Paulo: Lia Cesar, 1966.

"This book (of woodcuts) was born more than two years ago, when Raimundo de Oliveira approached me asking for help distributing invitations to his exhibition at the Astréia Gallery. We set out together on this simple mission, and along the way the idea of ​​making a small Bible was born. From then on, for many months, we worked closely together. We spent a long time choosing the biblical scenes that seemed most representative to us. This choice took into account both the biblical and the artistic aspects. Furthermore, it had to be subject to the limitations imposed by the woodcut technique."
Julio A. Pacello - 1966
PACELLO, Julio A. In: OLIVEIRA, Raimundo de. Small Bible by Raimundo de Oliveira. Woodcuts. Foreword by Jorge Amado; organized by Julio A. Pacello. São Paulo: Lia Cesar, 1966.

"Despite the naive visual composition of his works and his outspoken rebellion against school discipline (...) he was never, as he was mistakenly presented (...), a primitive, a 'naive' (...) he was concerned with the stylistic problems posed by religious themes and narratives, interpreting them with scenes of extreme lyricism."
Clarival do Prado Valadares
PONTUAL, Roberto. Dictionary of the Visual Arts in Brazil. Introduction by Antônio Houaiss. Texts by Mário Barata et al. Rio de Janeiro: Civilização Brasileira, 1969.

Solo Exhibitions

1951 - Feira de Santana, BA - First solo exhibition, at the City Hall
1951 - Salvador, BA - Solo exhibition, at the Oxumaré Gallery
1953 - Feira de Santana, BA - Solo exhibition, at the City Hall
1953 - Salvador, BA - Solo exhibition, at the Oxumaré Gallery
1956 - Salvador, BA - The Drama of Calvary, at the Belvedere da Sé
1957 - Buenos Aires (Argentina) - Solo exhibition, at the Plástica Art Gallery
1958 - Salvador, BA - Solo exhibition, at the Oxumaré Gallery
1959 - Santos, SP - Solo exhibition, in the Hall of the Indaiá Building
1959 - São Paulo, SP - Solo exhibition, at the Ambiente Gallery
1960 - São Paulo, SP - Solo show, at the Novos Comediantes Theater
1960 - São Paulo, SP - Solo show, at the Oficina Theater
1961 - Campinas, SP - Solo show, at the Aremar Gallery
1961 - São Paulo, SP - Solo show, at the Astréia Gallery
1962 - São Paulo, SP - Solo show, at the Clubinho
1962 - São Paulo, SP - Solo show, at the Astréia Gallery
1963 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Solo show, at the Bonino Gallery
1964 - Buenos Aires, Argentina - Solo show, at the Bonino Gallery
1964 - São Paulo, SP - Solo show, at the Astréia Gallery
1965 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Solo show, at the Bonino Gallery
1966 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Solo show, at the MAM/RJ

Collective Exhibitions

1951 - Salvador, BA - 1st Bahia University Salon of Fine Arts
1952 - Feira de Santana, BA - 1st Modern Art Exhibition of Feira de Santana, at the Banco Econômico da Bahia
1952 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ - 1st National Salon of Modern Art, at MAM/RJ
1952 - Salvador, BA - 2nd Bahia University Salon of Fine Arts
1953 - Salvador, BA - Poty, Carlos Bastos, and Raimundo Oliveira, at the Oxumaré Gallery
1953 - Salvador, BA - 3rd Bahia Salon of Fine Arts
1954 - Salvador, BA - 4th Bahia Salon of Fine Arts, at the Bahia Hotel
1955 - Salvador, BA - 5th Bahia Salon of Fine Arts, at the Belvedere Gallery Sé - Honorable Mention in Drawing
1956 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ - 5th National Salon of Modern Art
1956 - Salvador, BA - 6th Bahia Salon of Fine Arts, at the Oxumaré Gallery - Honorable Mention in Painting
1956 - Salvador, BA - Modern Artists of Bahia, at the Oxumaré Gallery
1956 - Salvador, BA - Exhibition of Modern Painting, at the Rio Branco Palace
1957 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ - 6th National Salon of Modern Art
1957 - São Paulo, SP - Artists of Bahia, at MAM/SP
1959 - São Paulo, SP - 47 Artists, at the Folhas Art Gallery
1960 - São Paulo, SP - 9th São Paulo Salon of Modern Art, at the Prestes Maia Gallery - Bronze Medal
1961 - Porto Alegre, RS - Circle of Friends of Art, at Margs
1961 - São Paulo SP - Contemporary Sacred Art, at the Graal Movement Headquarters
1961 - São Paulo SP - 10th São Paulo Salon of Modern Art, at the Prestes Maia Gallery - acquisition prize
1962 - São Paulo SP - 11th São Paulo Salon of Modern Art - small silver medal
1963 - São Paulo SP - 12th São Paulo Salon of Modern Art, at the Prestes Maia Gallery
1963 - São Paulo SP - 7th São Paulo International Biennial, at the Biennial Foundation
1964 - São Paulo SP - 13th São Paulo Salon of Modern Art
1965 - Caracas (Venezuela) - Evaluation of Latin American Painting
1965 - Paris (France) - Salon Comparaisons, at the Musée d'Art Moderne de La Ville de Paris
1965 - Paris (France) - Eight Brazilian Naive Painters, at the Galerie Jacques Massol
1965 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 33 Artists in Tribute to the City of Rio de Janeiro - honorable mention
1965 - São Paulo SP - 8th International Biennial of São Paulo, at the Biennial Foundation
1966 - Buenos Aires (Argentina) - Contemporary Brazilian Artists, at the Museum of Modern Art
1966 - Lausanne (Switzerland) - Artists and Discoverers of Our Time
1966 - New York (United States) - Brazilian Artists, at the Amel Gallery
1966 - Montevideo (Uruguay) - Contemporary Brazilian Artists, at the Museum of Modern Art in Buenos Aires
1966 - Madrid (Spain) - Artists of Bahia, at the Institute of Hispanic Culture
1966 - Lausanne (Switzerland) - International Gallery Salon - Pilot
1966 - New York (United States) - Brazilian Artists, at the Amel Gallery
1966 - Moscow (Russia) - Brazilian Primitive Painters
1966 - São Paulo, SP - 15th São Paulo Salon of Modern Art, at the Prestes Maia Gallery
1966 - New York (United States) - The Emergent Decade, at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

Posthumous Exhibitions

1966 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ - 4th JB Art Summary, at MAM/RJ
1966 - Salvador, BA - 1st National Biennial of Visual Arts
1966 - São Paulo, SP - 15th São Paulo Salon of Modern Art, at the Prestes Maia Gallery
1967 - Salvador, BA - Christmas Group Exhibition, at the Panorama Art Gallery
1969 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Via Crucis, at the Botafogo Art Office
1976 - São Paulo, SP - Solo, at the Portal Art Gallery
1979 - São Paulo, SP - Raimundo de Oliveira: paintings, at the Ipanema Art Gallery
1982 - Salvador, BA - Brazilian Art from the Odorico Tavares Collection, at the Carlos Costa Pinto Museum
1984 - São Paulo SP - Gilberto Chateaubriand Collection: portrait and self-portrait of Brazilian art, at MAM/SP
1984 - São Paulo SP - Tradition and Rupture: synthesis of Brazilian art and culture, at the Bienal Foundation
1986 - São Paulo SP - Solo exhibition, at the Mário de Andrade Library
1988 - São Paulo SP - Brazilian Naive Painting, at the Paintings and Art Objects Space
1990 - São Paulo SP - Figurativism/Abstractionism: red in Brazilian painting, at Itaugaleria
1992 - Belém PA - Eleventh Art, at the Romulo Maiorana Foundation
1992 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Solo exhibition, at Galeria Bonino
1993 - João Pessoa PB - Woodcut: from cordel to gallery, at Funesc
1993 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Solo exhibition, at Galeria Ipanema
1994 - Poços de Caldas, MG - Unibanco Collection: exhibition commemorating Unibanco's 70th anniversary, at the Casa da Cultura. 1994 - São Paulo, SP - Woodcut: from cordel to gallery, at the Metro. 1995 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Unibanco Collection: exhibition commemorating Unibanco's 70th anniversary, at the MAM/RJ. 1996 - Belém, PA - 15th Pará Art Salon, at the Belém Art Museum. 1996 - São Paulo, SP - Ex Libris/Home Page, at the Paço das Artes. 1997 - Porto Alegre, RS - Exhibition of the Caixa Collection, at the Caixa Cultural Complex. 1997 - São Paulo, SP - Exhibition of the Caixa Collection, at the Caixa Cultural Complex. 1998 - Curitiba, PR - Exhibition of the Caixa Collection, at the Caixa Cultural Complex. 1998 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Exhibition from the Caixa Collection, at the Caixa Cultural Complex
1998 - São Paulo SP - The Collectors - Guita and José Mindlin: matrices and engravings, at the Sesi Art Gallery
1999 - Salvador BA - 100 Visual Artists of Bahia, at the Museum of Sacred Art
1999 - Salvador BA - 60 Years of Brazilian Art, at the Caixa Econômica Federal Cultural Space
2000 - São Paulo SP - Investigations. Brazilian Engraving, at Itaú Cultural
2000 - São Paulo SP - The Angels Are Back, at the State Art Gallery
2001 - Brasília DF - Investigations. Brazilian Engraving, at Itaú Galeria
2001 - Penápolis SP - Investigations. Brazilian Engraving, at the Itaú Cultural Gallery
2001 - São Paulo SP - Aldo Franco Collection, at the State Art Gallery
2002 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Brazilian Art in the Fadel Collection: from the restlessness of the modern to the autonomy of language, at the CCBB
2002 - São Paulo SP - Brazilian Art in the Fadel Collection: from the restlessness of the modern to the autonomy of language, at the CCBB
2002 - São Paulo SP - Santa Ingenuidade, at Unifieo