ArtSchools

One of the foundations for a city to have a solid visual arts scene is, without a doubt, the training of new artists. With urban growth and changes in Rio de Janeiro's art scene, the expansion of spaces for painting, drawing, and printmaking classes fostered the development of numerous careers that would go on to become major names in the arts, both in Brazil and worldwide. Some of these initiatives ranged from independent groups that gathered around masters – as was the case with the Guignard Group experience in the 1940s – to new teaching institutions that offered courses aimed at this audience.

Among some of the independent initiatives, we have the pioneering work of Augusto Rodrigues, Lúcia Valentim, and the North American painter Margareth Spence, and the founding, in 1948, of the Escolinha de Arte do Brasil. Besides classrooms, another setting for exchange and teaching took place in meetings at studios and houses such as those of Bruno Giorgi in Leme, of the critic Mário Pedrosa, or the studio of Iberê Camargo, located in Lapa. Formerly a student of Guignard, the painter — and now a master to new generations — would also be responsible, in 1953, for the metal engraving studio at the Instituto Municipal de Belas Artes (where he trained names such as the painter Carlos Vergara). There were also formal courses, such as the invitation from the City Hall of Rio de Janeiro and Itamaraty's Department of Cultural Diffusion in 1952 for the French painter and theorist André Lhote to give a series of courses that ranged from a three-month occupation of Manoel and Haydéia Santiago's studio, at number 34 Rua das Laranjeiras, to the classrooms of the Escola Nacional de Belas Artes. Lhote's stay left a lasting mark on a generation of artists, dealers, and critics living in Rio de Janeiro.

Image description: This is an abstract painting. On the left side, we see colorful geometric shapes, such as triangles and squares, in shades of green, yellow, and blue. In the center, there are structures resembling modern buildings, with straight lines and varied colors, including beige, blue, and brown. On the right, there are shapes that look like mountains or hills, in shades of orange, green, and blue. In the upper part, there are areas representing the sky or water, in light blue tones. The work is by A.L.HOZ.

Another important initiative in this regard was the Advertising Design and Graphic Arts Course, created by Santa Rosa and offered at the Getúlio Vargas Foundation since 1946. Among the technical skills — precursors of design and advertising — there were also courses such as etching (with Carlos Oswald) and woodcut printing with Axl Leskoscheck. Santa Rosa took students to draw in places such as the Humaitá favela (Morro de Santa Marta). The printmaker Fayga Ostrower was one of the artists who attended the classes, and she captured these outings in her work from that period.

Image description: This is a black-and-white engraving. On the left side, we see a seated female figure with her legs crossed, wearing a headscarf. She rests her right hand on the knee of the man beside her. On the right side, we see a seated male figure, also with his legs crossed, shirtless. Both are in a relaxed pose, with the female figure leaning slightly forward. The background of the image is dark and abstract, suggesting a natural landscape.

However, the courses that truly transformed the landscape of the arts in the city were the classes given by the Museu de Arte Moderna starting in 1953. Still without its permanent headquarters at the Aterro do Flamengo, the MAM was already using the IPASE facilities on Rua Pedro Lessa, and later the twenty-third floor of the Edifício Drake (Rua Treze de Maio), until it moved in 1958 to the museum's Bloco Escola. Among courses such as those on composition and critical analysis with Fayga Ostrower, or on structural drawing and composition by Santa Rosa, or the 1959 printmaking studio with Jhonny Friedlaender and Edith Bhering, without a doubt the one that stood out most during this period was Ivan Serpa's educational work.

A painter from Rio's suburbs who received part of his training in free courses such as those promoted by the Colmeia de Pintores or classes with the aforementioned Austrian Axl Lekoscheck in the 1930s and 1940s, Serpa had already been teaching classes since the very first activities of MAM, back in 1949. His impact as a teacher on the group of young artists who attended his courses gave rise to collective initiatives formed almost exclusively by students, such as the Grupo Frente, in 1954, and its offshoot, the Grupo Neoconcreto, in 1959. In addition to periodic courses, Serpa also ran a Free Studio, which met on Saturday afternoons.

Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of two people. The child is seated on the left, wearing a white romper with suspenders. The right hand holds a pointed object, while the left hand rests on the knee. On the right, an adult is seated, also facing the camera, with dark hair and a white shirt. Both are looking at something to the left of the image.

Another of Serpa's era-defining teaching practices were his classes for children at the Ateliê Infantil. Turning the space for teaching the arts into a field of play, Serpa created methods based on creative freedom and expression. In 1954, alongside Mário Pedrosa, he wrote the book Crescimento e Criação in which he synthesized his ways of working with such an audience.