Chico da Silva

Articles

Articles on Chico da Silva, Brazilian artists and painting, with analysis of works and references to books, museums and period sources.

Chico da Silva

The life

  1. 01The Caboclo of the Alto TejoChico da Silva's origins: a birth without records on the Alto Tejo in Acre, a childhood on the rivers, and the road to Fortaleza and the Pirambu School.A peacock-tailed bird on a dark mound, with a second blue head, a butterfly and a cut branch. Peacock and Fantastic Bird, Chico da Silva, c. 1969, gouache on paper.
  2. 02The Murals of Praia FormosaFish, birds and ghost ships in charcoal on fishermen's walls in Fortaleza: how Chico da Silva's repertoire began before gouache and the Pirambu School.Two ornately patterned roosters facing off over a leafy branch, bordered by a wavy marbled band. Cockfight, Chico da Silva, 1972, gouache on canvas.
  3. 03Jean-Pierre Chabloz and the Discovery of Chico da SilvaHow Jean-Pierre Chabloz found Chico da Silva's murals in Fortaleza in 1943 and carried his gouaches to Europe, years before the Pirambu School.A tall fantastical bird with a spoked, wheel-shaped wing, a small chick, and a striped butterfly above. Fantastic Birds and Butterfly, Chico da Silva, c. 1967, gouache on paper.
  4. 04Chico da Silva and the Art of Ceará in the 1940sFortaleza in the 1940s: the Salão de Abril, the SCAP, Antônio Bandeira, Aldemir Martins and where Chico da Silva stood in Ceará art, outside the academy.A large fish with a fan tail facing left, flanked by two smaller fish on a hatched ochre ground. Fish, Chico da Silva, c. 1966, gouache on paper.
  5. 05The Pirambu SchoolChico da Silva's studio in Pirambu, Fortaleza: the five disciples, the work divided by stage, the parallel workshops and the collective panel of 1977.A large patterned fish swimming amid swirling yellow and green water with a small fish below. Fish, Chico da Silva by Babá, 2006, acrylic on canvas.
  6. 06Venice, 1966Chico da Silva's honourable mention at the 33rd Venice Biennale (1966), the press, and the imaginary journeys of the Pirambu School painter of Fortaleza.Two elaborately plumed roosters confronting each other against a golden background. Cockfight, Chico da Silva, 1969, gouache on paper.
  7. 07The Painting FactoryHow Chico da Silva's Fortaleza studio became a painting factory: mass production, forgeries and the disputed marks of the Pirambu School, 1966–1972.Two confronting horned dragons with scaly bodies, fanned fins and gaping toothy jaws on a yellow ground. Dragons, Chico da Silva, 1971, acrylic on canvas.
  8. 08The Final YearsThe final years of Chico da Silva (1970–1985): illness and hospitals in Fortaleza, late paintings, the Pirambu School dispute, his death on 6 December 1985.Two roosters facing each other, with spiky crests and sweeping feathers on a black ground. Cockfight, Chico da Silva, 1983, acrylic on canvas.

The circle

  1. 09The Instituto Oboé and the Pirambu RevivalHow the Instituto Cultural Oboé reunited Chico da Silva's disciples in Fortaleza and revived the Escola do Pirambu in 34 canvases from 2004 to 2011.Two large ornate birds with fanned tails and many small creatures against a yellow ground. Dragon Birds and Insects, Chico da Silva by Babá, 2004, acrylic on canvas.
  2. 10Garcia, the Last DiscipleGarcia, last living disciple of Chico da Silva's Escola do Pirambu, retraces the school in two interviews recorded in Fortaleza, Ceará.Two serpents with open toothed jaws, their patterned bodies looped and knotted together. Entwined Serpents, Garcia, 2025, acrylic on canvas.
  3. 11Babá, the First DiscipleBabá (Sebastião Lima da Silva), the first disciple of Chico da Silva in Pirambu: Bluhm's workshop, the 1966 scandal and a signature of his own from 1977.A large dotted fish surrounded by shrimp, insects and sea creatures against an orange ground. Toad Snake Birds and Insects, Chico da Silva by Babá, 2011, acrylic on canvas.
  4. 12Claudionor, the DraughtsmanJosé Claudionor Nogueira (1945–2010), who drew the creatures of Chico da Silva's Pirambu School: the Mercantil São José panels and the 2010 memoir.A large red serpent with open jaws confronting a crested armored bird perched on a forked branch. Snake and Bird, Chico da Silva by Claudionor, 2007, acrylic on canvas.
  5. 13Chica da Silva, the Painter's DaughterChica da Silva (Francisca da Silva), daughter of Chico da Silva and the only woman in the core of the Pirambu School: her own name on the canvas in 1976.Two nearly identical crested birds facing off symmetrically with sweeping tails on a pale ground. Roosters, Gerardo da Silva, 1998, acrylic on canvas.
  6. 14Ivan de Assis, the Cinema in the BestiaryIvan José de Assis, of the original core of the Pirambu School: he knew Chico da Silva before the fame and put winged animals and roosters in the repertoire.Three seated figures behind a blue basin of cashew fruit, a fan of leaves rising at right. Women and Fruit, Ivan de Assis, 2000, acrylic on canvas.
  7. 15Maria Augusta, the Girl Who SignedMaria Augusta do Carmo Moreira painted for Chico da Silva from 1965 and said so in public at fifteen: the 1969 newspapers and the canvas she signed in 1973.A large fantastic fish in profile, its dark body stippled with spirals and marked by three eye-like discs. Fantastic Fish, Maria Augusta, 1973, gouache on canvas.

The legacy

  1. 16Primitive, Naïve, IndigenousEighty years of criticism on Chico da Silva, from Rubem Navarra in 1945 to the curators of the 2020s: every generation swapped the label, none settled it.A large fantastic insect attacking a smaller insect on a blue ground. Fantastic Animals, Chico da Silva, 1978, acrylic on canvas.
  2. 17Chico da Silva and Brazilian Naïve ArtWhere Chico da Silva stands in Brazilian naïve art: the first primitive painters, the 1966 Venice mention and the naïve painter who became a school.A large fish with a fan tail facing left, flanked by two smaller fish on a hatched ochre ground. Fish, Chico da Silva, c. 1966, gouache on paper.
  3. 18Legacy and RediscoveryHow Chico da Silva returned to view after 1985: retrospectives in São Paulo and Fortaleza, the Escola do Pirambu debate, and a new market.Two roosters facing each other, with spiky crests and sweeping feathers on a black ground. Cockfight, Chico da Silva, 1983, acrylic on canvas.
  4. 19Cataloguing Chico da Silva: What a Catalogue Raisonné Has to ResolveAt Pirambu, disciples painted and the master signed. What that asks of a catalogue raisonné of Chico da Silva, from the signature to the double attribution.Two ornately patterned roosters facing off over a leafy branch, bordered by a wavy marbled band. Cockfight, Chico da Silva, 1972, gouache on canvas.
  5. 20Chronology of Chico da SilvaDates in the life of Chico da Silva and the Pirambu School, from his uncertain birth on the Alto Tejo, around 1910, to his rediscovery, each with its source.Two elaborately plumed roosters confronting each other against a golden background. Cockfight, Chico da Silva, 1969, gouache on paper.

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