Mário Baratta references the quietness of the art world in Fortaleza, Brazil, the capital of the state of Ceará, during the dark period of the Second World War. He became acquainted with the Swiss artist Pierre Chabloz, who had settled there in Fortaleza, among others, in the expatriate community. Chabloz had originally arrived in Brazil to work in the rubber industry and later ended up becoming involved in promoting the culture. Baratta recounts his encounters with the artist when they dined, played music, and drew nude models. Diametrically opposite and oblivious to the global conflagration in Europe and in Asia, life passed on with complete normalcy in this northeastern Brazilian province, and inevitably, the artists ended up associating with the models from their drawing sessions.

The text by the artist and art critic Mário Baratta describes without pretense the daily routines of artists in Fortaleza, Brazil, the capital of the state of Ceará, during the period of the Second World War. Baratta highlights the participation by some foreigners who were residing in the provincial atmosphere, particularly Pierre Chabloz, whose substantial contribution included opening the local scene when he founded the SCAP (Sociedade Cearense de Artistas Plásticos). The project not only strengthened internal artistic cohesion but for the first time gave its members nationwide exposure.

Mário Baratta was born in Rio de Janeiro (1914−83) and relocated in 1932 to Fortaleza, in the state of Ceara, Brazil, becoming a “Cearense for life” and a local and cultural emblematic figure.  He worked as an art critic and was key in the establishment of the Centro Cultural de Belas Artes in Fortaleza, an entity that was responsible for the first art exhibition halls, the Salão Cearense de Pintura in 1941, followed by the Salão de Abril in 1943. Due to financial problems in 1944, the SCAP (Sociedade Cearense de Artes) was created in 1946 to revive the Salão de Abril, an event that featured local artists in dialogue with what was being produced artistically in Brazil at the time, offering them national exposure.

[For additional reading, please refer to the ICAA digital archive for the following texts by Mário Baratta: “Aldemir Martins e a pintura” (doc. no. 1110782), “Antonio Bandeira e a pintura” (doc. no. 1110781), “Carta a Mario de Andrade” (doc. no. 1110783), “De como deve ser visto o binômio Clã-SCAP” (doc. no. 1111385), “Exposição cearense” (doc. no. 1111388), and “II Salão de Abril” (doc. no.1111387)].