Veríssimo de Souza Freitas (ca. 1758–1806) was an

Afro-Brazilian Afro-Brazilians ( pt, afro-brasileiros; ) are Brazilians who have predominantly African ancestry (see "Black people#Brazil, preto"). Most members of another group of people, Pardo Brazilians, multiracial Brazilians or ''pardos'', may also have a ...

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

Colonial Brazil Colonial Brazil ( pt, Brasil Colonial) comprises the period from 1500, with the arrival of the Portuguese, until 1815, when Brazil was elevated to a kingdom in union with Portugal as the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves. Durin ...

, noted for his paintings in various churches in

Salvador Salvador, meaning "salvation" (or "saviour") in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese may refer to: * Salvador (name) Arts, entertainment, and media Music *Salvador (band), a Christian band that plays both English and Spanish music ** ''Salvador'' ( ...

and the immediate interior of

Bahia Bahia ( , , ; meaning "bay") is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (sta ...

region. He was an apprentice, assistant, and employee of Joaquim José da Rocha (1737-1807). De Freitas' mastery of ''

trompe-l'œil ''Trompe-l'œil'' ( , ; ) is an artistic term for the highly realistic optical illusion of three-dimensional space and objects on a two-dimensional surface. ''Trompe l'oeil'', which is most often associated with painting, tricks the viewer into ...

'' painting follows in the tradition of Da Rocha. They worked simultaneously on numerous paintings, leading to confusion about authorship of some works. Freitas' ceiling paintings feature trompe l'oeil paintings with columns and arches, which continue to a central medallion with a painted sky.

Noted works

*''Glorificação da Imaculada Conceição pela Santíssima Trindade'', the large-scale painting of the ceiling of the

Church and Convent of Our Lady of the Conception of Lapa The Church and Convent of Our Lady of the Conception of Lapa ( pt, Igreja e Convento de Nossa Senhora da Conceição da Lapa is an 18th-century Roman Catholic church located in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. The church is dedicated to Our Lady of the Co ...

(''Igreja e Convento de Nossa Senhora da Conceição da Lapa'') *Eight Panels of Augustinian Saints, Church and Convent of Our Lady of the Palm (''Igreja e Convento de Nossa Senhora da Palma'', ca. 1785). The central medallion of the painting has the Immaculate Conception at center, the Holy Trinity above, and six young nuns below. De Freitas likely assisted José Joaquim da Rocha in other painting in the church, notably the massive painting of nave ceiling *Paintings in the

Convent of Bom Jesus dos Perdões and Chapel of Mercy The Convent of Bom Jesus dos Perdões and Chapel of Mercy ( pt, Capela de Nossa Senhora da Piedade e Recolhimento de Bom Jesus dos Perdões) is an 18th-century Roman Catholic church and convent located in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. It was listed as ...

(''Recolhimento do Bom Jesus dos Perdões e Capela da Piedade'') *''Santo Antônio de Lisboa'',

Church and Monastery of Saint Benedict Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

(''Igreja e Mosteiro de São Bento'') *Painting of the nave ceiling,

Church and Convent of Saint Antony and Chapel of the Third Order The Church and Convent of Saint Antony and Chapel of the Third Order ( pt, Igreja e Convento de Santo António e Capela da Ordem Terceira) is a 17th-century Roman Catholic church and convent located in São Francisco do Conde, Bahia, Brazil. Const ...

São Francisco do Conde São Francisco do Conde is a municipality in the state of Bahia in the North-East region of Brazil. São Francisco do Conde covers , and has a population of 40,245 with a population density of 150 inhabitants per square kilometer. It is located f ...

, Bahia

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Freitas, Veríssimo de Souza 1806 deaths Artists from Salvador, Bahia Afro-Brazilian people Brazilian people of Portuguese descent Baroque painters 18th-century Brazilian artists 19th-century Brazilian artists 18th-century Brazilian painters 18th-century male artists 19th-century Brazilian painters 19th-century Brazilian male artists Year of birth uncertain