Os Retirantes de Portinari: crítica comentada sobre as obras da série pertencente ao Masp

Abstract

The theme of the retirantes is one of the most present in the artistic production of Candido Portinari. Although it is much larger, the Portinari Institute considers that the series is composed of seven engravings and four panels that address the trajectory of serteneja families in search of better conditions outside the drought of the sertão. The most famous paintings are Criança Morta, Enterro na Rede and Retirantes, from 1944, all belonging to the São Paulo Art Museum Assis Chateaubriand (MASP). These works have gone through several exhibitions since they were added to the museum's collection and have become widely criticized. The dissertation focuses on these tables and their reception, and is structured in three chapters. The first deals with the critical literature, the authors' review, the balance sheet and the place of the tables according to the opinion of the authors. The second deals with the analysis of the criticism published in the periodicals, specifically in O Estado de São Paulo between the years of 1954 to 2013, O Cruzeiro between 1936 and 1978 and A Noite of 1944 to 1953, on the theme of the retirantes and the relation of works which refer to the settlers in their title during the production of Portinari. The third chapter deals with the institutional history of those paintings at MASP. Keywords: Candido Portinari, Retirantes, MASP, Crítique of art