Dois Aprendizes, um Mestre português e conversações sobre a Arte da Pintura em Minas Colonial

Abstract

The aim of this article is to investigate the "noises" about the art of painting that come from the distant past, from people who know by seeing or who know by hearing. "Noises" that allow us to follow a certain script of works, painting formulas, ways of hiring, in short, the pictorial artistic process since the second half of the 18th century. In fact, this itinerary is limited to two young painters who present themselves as apprentices to another, certainly older, Portuguese painter. All of this unfolds in a lengthy lawsuit in which one of the young painters appears as the "plaintiff" and the alleged master appears as the "defendant". From the testimonies given in the trial, by the parties involved, as well as by the witnesses, most of whom were painters, we can see an interesting roadmap to understand a little about the beginning of the great era of perspective painting that developed in the churches of Minas Gerais from the middle of the 18th century. Comparing the speeches of the characters involved in the trial with the works mentioned in them, we can clearly see the possibility of putting together this roadmap.