In this essay on Bahían sculptor Agnaldo Manoel dos Santos, Clarival do Prado Valladares discusses aspects of the artist’s life—in particular, the arduous work he did making blocks of limestone— and of his work. The text describes the hardships the artist faced as a child living in poverty on Ilha Grande in the state of Bahia and how he made his way to Salvador, the capital of that state, in 1946. It was while working as a security guard at the studio of prestigious sculptor Mário Cravo Jr. in the Rio Vermelho section of the city that he learned sculpture and printing techniques, met intellectuals, and came into contact with African art through books in Cravo Jr.’s library. Indeed, Cravo Jr. would be a major influence on Manoel dos Santos, who produced sculpture in wood that combined, in original fashion, sacred Portuguese sculpture from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and the statuary of Candomblé rituals. The text discusses the relationship of Agnaldo Manoel dos Santos with the art market and his participation in major shows such as the fourth São Paulo Biennial in 1957. The artist died of Chagas disease because he did not receive adequate treatment.

This essay, the most important text ever written on the life and work of sculptor Agnaldo Manoel dos Santos (1926–1962), was based on a series of interviews with the artist by author, historian, and critic Clarival do Prado Valladares shortly before the death of the artist. Like other studies by do Prado Valladares, this one contributes to the construction of a history of art of northeastern Brazil. In all of his writings, the author places emphasis on the mixing of races—a factor he deems decisive to Brazil’s unique culture—identifying syncretism as a key indicator of “Brazility.” On those grounds, he considers Agnaldo Manoel dos Santos a “primitive and truly Brazilian” artist.

Clarival do Prado Valladares (1918–1983) is a pioneering figure in the historical construction of the arts in northeastern Brazil, mainly in places, like his native state of Bahía, where black culture is central.

For other texts by Clarival do Prado Valladares, see “Arte brasileño erudito y arte brasileño popular” (doc. no. 1110759); “Artesanato e criação estética: tapeçaria de Genaro de Carvalho” (doc. no. 1110696); “A defasagem africana ou crônica do I Festival Mundial de Artes Negras” (doc. no. 1110461); “Helio de Oliveira, o gravador de Pegis” (doc. no. 1110464); “O negro brasileiro nas artes plásticas” (doc. no. 1110431); “ “Primitivos, genuínos e arcaicos” (doc. no. 1110439); and “Tenreiro” (doc. no. 1306676).