Explore the Representation of índio Filipe Camarão about the Reception and criticism of this artwork.
Another criticism related to Meirelles' work was the contestation of the representation of índio Filipe Camarão, who, according to the critics, was badly drawn since his image, at the time he participated in the battle, did not present the joviality portrayed in the painting. Once again, the artist used Varnhagen's História das Lutas dos Holandeses no Brasil to justify himself. In this bibliography, the historian presents an analysis of Camarão's life, such as the year in which he died, the year in which he was baptized, the same year in which there was a dispute for the Crown in Portugal between two religious men, and the name Filipe was a tribute to them. This proves that Meirelles had not erred in his portrayal, for he himself contended that he had added more age to the figure of Camarão.
Other criticisms were made about the way in which Filipe Camarão was represented, especially at the time of the painting's execution, when his work received the most varied visitors. Many of the visitors thought it was inappropriate the way one of the heroes of the battle was portrayed, because he could never be portrayed as an old man or a decadent person, as this would run away from the idea of a national hero. At this point, there was a conflict between the moral function of the painting and its commitment to fidelity to the past. The figure of a hero should not be deconstructed but rather reinforced as an example for posterity. Thus, the painter should not be bound by such historical preciousness. For those visitors, the most important function of a work was its pedagogical role, even if this compromised its verisimilitude. However, after the polemic, the painter changed the image of the character.One circumstance, however, which I thought I should not disregard, due to its respectful origin, was that it made me alter the physiognomy of the indigenous person in question, to give him the appearance that can be seen today on the Guararapes canvas and which is particularized as a defect... (...) Mr. Justice Tristão de Alencar Araripe, more than once honoring my "atelier" with his presence, also expressed his regret for seeing that character thus characterized. And I, who only want to get it right, because of the faith that the judicious observations deserved, and because it did not seem like obstinacy, understood I had to give in, modifying it in the sense in which I present it today.Before giving in, Meirelles continued the debate, now basing his arguments on the work of French naturalist Alcide d'Orbigny, The American Man of South America. In this bibliography, it was stated that the indigenous people had a different aging process, which took place more slowly, as well as the manifestation of this passage of time in their aesthetics. Even at a hundred years old, they would remain with their youthful appearance.More than one person has told me that Camarao, whom I had represented, in spite of his seventy years, could not be considered old, because he was an indigenous person, and that this northern race, so robust, only begins to show signs of old age after a hundred years, and still in support of such an assertion we have what d'Orbigny tells us in his work O homem americano da América Meridional (English: The American Man of South America).The choice to represent Camarão with a jovial image, even though he was seventy years old, was based on sources consulted by Meirelles, by his pictorial knowledge and on the theme, and also on racial theories of the time, i.e., this act followed a historical scientific content. Thus, the representation of Camarão is a mark of enunciation of the painting that marked a moment of dialogue between historical painting and the discipline of history.
English historical painting índio Varnhagen's artist Filipe Camarão Alcide d'Orbigny