José Maria Oscar Rodolfo Bernardelli y Thierry (18 December 1852,
Guadalajara
Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Mexico, while the Guadalaj ...
- 7 April 1931,
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
) was a Mexican-born Brazilian sculptor and art professor, of Italian ancestry.
Biography
He was the oldest of four children born to a violinist and a dancer. His brothers,
Félix and
Henrique, also became artists, and Félix was a musician as well. Due to his parents' profession, the family moved frequently; to several places in Mexico, Chile, and eventually
Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul (, , ; "Great River of the South") is a state in the southern region of Brazil. It is the fifth-most-populous state and the ninth largest by area. Located in the southernmost part of the country, Rio Grande do Sul is border ...
, Brazil. There, they met Emperor
Pedro II, who invited them to live in Rio de Janeiro and become tutors to his children. By that time, Rodolfo was fourteen, and displaying artistic talent.
[Weisz, Suely de Godoy]
"Rodolpho Bernardelli, um perfil do homem e do artista segundo a visão de seus contemporâneos"
In: ''19&20'', 2007; II (4)
He sat in on classes taught by
Francisco Manuel Chaves Pinheiro, who noticed his enthusiasm and suggested that he become a formal student. He was therefore enrolled at the
Academia Imperial de Belas Artes
The Imperial Academy of Fine Arts ('' pt, Academia Imperial de Belas Artes'') was an institution of higher learning in the arts in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, established by King João VI. Despite facing many initial difficulties, the Academy was e ...
, winning several academic awards. In 1876, he received a stipend for study abroad. He initially intended to study in Paris, as was customary, but found himself unimpressed by the artistic milieu there, and the academies were crowded.
As a result, he decided to go to his ancestral homeland and settled in Rome, where he studied with
Giulio Monteverde. Although he expressed a preference for
Classicism
Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for a classical period, classical antiquity in the Western tradition, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. In its purest form, classicism is an aesthet ...
, he soon found himself influenced by contemporary trends, and the examples he sent back to the Academia came under criticism.
[Silva, Maria do Carmo Couto da]
"A formação do escultor Rodolfo Bernardelli na Itália (1877-1885): uma análise de sua trajetória a partir de fontes primárias"
In: ''Revista de História da Arte e Arqueologia'', 2006; 6: 123-136,
After completing his studies, he returned to Brazil in 1885. In October of that year, he held an exhibition of the works he had created in Italy and, as a result, was appointed Professor of Statuary at the Academia, succeeding his former teacher, Chaves Pinheiro, who had retired. With support from the Imperial family, he received several important commissions, including monuments for Generals
Manuel Luís Osório
Manuel may refer to:
People
* Manuel (name)
* Manuel (Fawlty Towers), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers''
* Charlie Manuel, manager of the Philadelphia Phillies
* Manuel I Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire
* Manu ...
and
Duque de Caxias.
When the monarchy fell, in 1889, he resigned his position in solidarity. However, by invitation of the new Republican government, he was reinstated in 1890.
[Dazzi, Camila]
"A 'Reforma da Academia’ no Relatório do Diretor da Escola Nacional de Belas Artes, Rodolpho Bernardelli, ao Ministro da Instrução Pública (1891)"
In: ''19&20'', 2010; V (3) In that position, he collaborated on a project that converted the Academia Imperial into the
Escola Nacional de Belas Artes
Escola de Belas Artes (School of Fine Arts) is one of the centers of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and dates back to colonial times.
A royal letter of Nov 20 1800 by John VI of Portugal established the ''Aula Prática de Desenho e Figu ...
, and liberalized its teaching methods.
He then became its first Director; serving until 1915.
In 1893, he was responsible for selecting the works that would represent Brazil at the
World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The centerpiece of the Fair, hel ...
in Chicago.
In 1904, he was part of a judging committee for choosing new façades on the
Avenida Central, and served on a commission to select an architect for the proposed
Teatro Municipal. He would contribute six ornamental statues for the Teatro.
He was the most influential sculptor of his generation. His workshop in central Rio de Janeiro was a meeting place for numerous cultural and political figures, including
Quintino Bocaiúva,
Olavo Bilac
Olavo Brás Martins dos Guimarães Bilac (16 December 1865 – 28 December 1918), known simply as Olavo Bilac (), was a Brazilian Parnassian poet, journalist and translator. Alongside Alberto de Oliveira and Raimundo Correia, he was a member ...
,
Machado de Assis
Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis (), often known by his surnames as Machado de Assis, ''Machado,'' or ''Bruxo do Cosme Velho''Vainfas, p. 505. (21 June 1839 – 29 September 1908), was a pioneer Brazilian novelist, poet, playwright and short sto ...
,
Raul Pompéia,
Leopoldo Miguez
Leopoldo Américo Miguez (9 September 1850 – 6 July 1902) was a Brazilian composer.
Miguez was born in Niterói. He was known as a champion of the music of Richard Wagner. He also directed the "Instituto Nacional de Musica." He also wrote th ...
,
Angelo Agostini and
Pereira Passos
Francisco Franco Pereira Passos (29 August 1836 – 12 March 1913) was a Brazilian engineer and politician. He was mayor of the Federal District of Brazil from 1902 to 1906, nominated by President Rodrigues Alves. During his tenure, Pereira Passos ...
. Nevertheless, his public image was less flattering, with a significant number of critics who considered him to be vain, arrogant and mediocre. Much of that criticism derived from his dismissal of several prominent artists when he became Director of the Escola Nacional. They included
Victor Meirelles
Victor Meirelles de Lima (18 August 1832 – 22 February 1903) was a Brazilian painter and teacher who is best known for his works relating to his nation's culture and history. From humble origins, his talent was soon recognized, being admitted as ...
,
Antônio Parreiras
Antônio Diogo da Silva Parreiras (20 January 1860, Niterói – 17 October 1937, Niterói) was a Brazilian painter, designer and illustrator.
Biography
He was one of nine children and his father was a goldsmith. In 1882, he enrolled at the Aca ...
and
Décio Villares
Décio Rodrigues Villares (1 December 1851, in Rio de Janeiro – 21 June 1931, in Rio de Janeiro) was a Brazilian painter, sculptor, caricaturist, and graphic designer. He is best known for helping to design the blue disc on the Brazilian Flag a ...
.
In any event, he served as Director for twenty-five years and held a virtual monopoly on artistic education in the capital. During his tenure, there were very few sculpture students at the school, as they were apparently discouraged at the thought of being eclipsed by him. In 1915, a group of students and teachers managed to have him removed. His final years would pass mostly in solitude, working at his new studio in
Copacabana.
In 1919, he was named an "Honorary Academician" at the
Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando
The Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando (RABASF; ), located on the Calle de Alcalá in the heart of Madrid, currently functions as a museum and gallery. A public law corporation, it is integrated together with other Spanish royal acade ...
, in Madrid.
Following his death in 1931, the , a progressive artists' society, was created to honor him and his brother, Henrique. A considerable number of his smaller, less monumental works were donated to the
Pinacoteca do Estado and the
Museu Mariano Procópio.
"Rodolfo Bernardelli"
In: ''Enciclopédia Itaú Cultural de Arte e Cultura Brasileiras''. São Paulo: Itaú Cultural, 2021
Selected works
File:Rodolfo Bernardelli - Davi.jpg, ''David
David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
'', 1875
File:Rodolfo Bernardelli - Santo Estêvão 1879 (2).jpg, ''Saint Stephen
Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ''Stéphanos'', meaning "wreath, crown" and by extension "reward, honor, renown, fame", often given as a title rather than as a name; c. 5 – c. 34 AD) is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first ...
'', 1879
File:Rodolfo Bernardelli - Faceira, 1880.jpg, ''Coquette'', 1880
File:Rodolfo Bernardelli - Doutor Montenovese (1882).jpg, ''Doctor Montenovese'', 1882
File:Rodolfo Bernardelli - Irineu Evangelista de Souza.jpg, '' Irineu de Souza'', 1899
File:Museu do Ipiranga 2018 027.jpg, ''Dom Pedro I Dom or DOM may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Dom (given name), including fictional characters
* Dom (surname)
* Dom La Nena (born 1989), stage name of Brazilian-born cellist, singer and songwriter Dominique Pinto
* Dom people, an et ...
'', 1923
File:Rodolfo Bernardelli - Túmulo de Campos Salles.JPG, ''The Tomb of Campos Salles'', Cemitério da Consolação
File:Bernardelli - Monumento a Cabral.jpg, ''Pedro Álvares Cabral
Pedro Álvares Cabral ( or ; born Pedro Álvares de Gouveia; c. 1467 or 1468 – c. 1520) was a Portuguese nobleman, military commander, navigator and explorer regarded as the European discoverer of Brazil. He was the first human i ...
'', Lisbon
References
External links
Rodolfo Bernardelli em DezenoveVinte - Arte brasileira do século XIX e início do XX
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bernardelli, Rodolfo
1852 births
1931 deaths
Brazilian sculptors
Art directors
Brazilian people of Italian descent
Artists from Guadalajara, Jalisco