The last decade or so saw a rapid increase of interest in painting in Brazil. Among the beneficiaries of this trend was a generation of naïf artists who suddenly gained considerable popularity and long overdue respect. Professor Rodman’s book is a good introduction to the life and work of these painters and sculptors. The volume contains interesting information on the personal characteristics of the artists and is abundantly illustrated with plates (some in color) of their canvasses and carvings.
This short volume, however, is not as comprehensive or as representative as readers interested in Brazilian naïf art would have the right to expect. First, the author makes no reference to the work of certain important naif artists. Conspicuously absent from the book is a discussion of the work of Crisaldo Morais, a leading figure in the Brazilian naïf art movement and acclaimed by Brazilian and European critics as the best Brazilian naïf painter. Second, the works which are included in the book, although excellent in quality, are not enough to represent the best phases of the artists concerned. The book would be enriched, for example, by the addition of Neuton Andrade’s “Wedding on an Ox-cart,” Elza O. S.’s springlike “Eva,” and one of Crisaldo Morais’ beautiful “Noahs.”
