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Biography of O AleijadinhoName: O AleijadinhoBirth Date: 1738 Death Date: 1814 Place of Birth: Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil Nationality: Brazilian Gender: Male Occupations: architect, sculptor O Aleijadinho The Brazilian architect and sculptor Antônio Francisco Lisbôa, called O Aleijadinho (1738-1814), an exponent of the rococo style, is acknowledged to be his country's greatest architect and sculptor.O Aleijadinho (a nickname meaning "the little cripple") was born in Ouro Preto in the state of Minas Gerais. He was the illegitimate son of the architect Manuel Francisco Lisbôa and a Negro slave girl. A lost document, dated 1790, was cited by his first biographer (Rodrigo Brêtas in the newspaper of Ouro Preto, 1858), who quoted from it extensively. The anonymous, contemporary author praised O Aleijadinho fulsomely, calling him "the new Praxiteles, [who] honors architecture and sculpture equally."O Aleijadinho became physically disabled in his mid-30s and was described as "so sickly that he has to be carried everywhere and has to have his chisels strapped to him to be able to work." Despite the …showed first 150 words…
…showed last 150 words…his soapstone group of 12 prophets (1800-1805) for the church of Bom Jesus de Matozinhos at Congonhas do Campo. The atrium of the church is enclosed by a low wall which is opened in the front by a multiflight, monumental stairway. The figures of the prophets are so disposed atop the atrium wall and staircase railing that the ensemble has been compared to a tremendous ballet. Ascending and descending the winding staircase, one is offered innumerable compositional arrangements. It is as though one could view Auguste Rodin's Burghers of Calais, from diverse angles within the group. The prophets' figures are in no way rococo. They loom above one's vision portentously as though hewn by a Romanesque Michelangelo. Further Reading The best sources of information on O Aleijadinho and his works are in Portuguese and French. In English important information is provided in Pál Kelemen, Baroque and Rococo in Latin America (1951). |