Carlos Prado (São Paulo SP 1908 - idem 1992)
Carlos Prado was a painter, printmaker, draftsman, ceramist and architect. He graduated in architecture from the Escola Politécnica de São Paulo in the late 1920s. He later traveled to Europe, where he pursued advanced studies in urban planning. In São Paulo, he studied with Georg Elpons (1865–1939). In 1931, he shared a studio with Flávio de Carvalho (1899–1973) and Antonio Gomide (1895–1967). With these artists, alongside Di Cavalcanti (1897–1976) and others, he founded the Clube dos Artistas Modernos (CAM).
He chose a certain isolation in his artistic career and went to live in Bragança Paulista, in the interior of São Paulo state. He held only three solo exhibitions: the first in 1943, at his studio in São Paulo; the second in 1976, at the Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo (MAM/SP); and the last in December 1980, at the opening of Studio José Duarte de Aguiar, also in the city of São Paulo. He took part in the 1st and 2nd São Paulo International Biennials, in 1951 and 1953.
He published the albums Memórias sem Palavras [Memories without Words] (1954) and A Cidade Moderna [The Modern City] (1958). He produced paintings, drawings and prints with a predominance of social themes, as in Varredores de Rua [Street Sweepers] (1935), one of his best-known works. He also made nudes and still lifes.
Critical Commentary
Although he took part in founding the Clube dos Artistas Modernos - CAM in the early 1930s, Carlos Prado chose a certain isolation in his artistic career. Social issues are frequently present in his works, in static compositions dominated by a metaphysical atmosphere that goes beyond the mere representation of reality, as in Varredores de Rua [Street Sweepers], 1935.
In Jogo de Futebol [Soccer Game], 1935, despite the speed and movement inherent to the sport, the composition is presented in such a way that the movement seems frozen; the artist brings solemnity to the scene, eliminating any clear sign of the passage of time.
His work features erotic elements, and his still lifes are carefully executed, emphasizing the solidity and immobility of volumes. His work as a printmaker in the 1950s also stands out.
Critiques
"Carlos Prado, one of the founders of CAM, but who opted for an attitude of isolation, is the author of a somewhat forgotten body of work that is nonetheless significant in context. Socialist ideals appeared forcefully and with commitment in his painting, whose thematic complexity includes the erotic element. The static composition, reinforced by the rarefied atmosphere, takes it beyond the level of simple objective observation, as in the episodes of popular narrative, such as Varredores de Rua [Street Sweepers] (1935), at Masp, and Procissão [Procession] (1941), at MAC/USP".
Walter Zanini
ZANINI, Walter, org. História geral da arte no Brasil. Apresentação de Walther Moreira Salles. São Paulo: Instituto Walther Moreira Salles, Fundação Djalma Guimarães, 1983.
Solo Exhibitions
1943 - São Paulo SP - First solo exhibition, at his studio in the Edifício Jaraguá
1944 - São Paulo SP - Solo, at Livraria Brasiliense
1976 - São Paulo SP - Retrospective, at MAM/SP
1981 - São Paulo SP - Solo, at Galeria de Arte José Duarte de Aguiar
Group Exhibitions
1935 - São Paulo SP - 3rd São Paulo Fine Arts Salon - honorable mention
1937 - São Paulo SP - 1st Salão de Maio, at Esplanada Hotel de São Paulo
1938 - São Paulo SP - 2nd Salão de Maio
1944 - São Paulo SP - 9th Salon of the Visual Artists' Union, at Galeria Prestes Maia
1944 - São Paulo SP - Brazilian-North American Modern Painting Exhibition, at Galeria Prestes Maia
1945 - São Paulo SP - Alfredo Volpi, Bonadei, Carlos Prado, Quirino da Silva, Francisco Rebolo, Mario Zanini and José Pancetti, at Galeria Benedetti
1945 - São Paulo SP - Anita Malfatti, Virgínia Artigas, Clóvis Graciano, Mick Carnicelli, Oswald de Andrade Filho, José Pancetti, Carlos Prado, Francisco Rebolo, Quirino da Silva, Alfredo Volpi, Mario Zanini, at Galeria Itapetininga
1951 - São Paulo SP - 1st São Paulo International Biennial, at Pavilhão do Trianon
1953 - São Paulo SP - 2nd São Paulo International Biennial, at Pavilhão dos Estados
1954 - São Paulo SP - Contemporary Art: Exhibition of the Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo Collection, at MAM/SP
1956 - São Paulo SP - Mostra 50 Anos - Paisagem Brasileira [50 Years Exhibition - Brazilian Landscape], at MAM/SP
1957 - Buenos Aires (Argentina) - Arte Moderna en Brasil [Modern Art in Brazil] traveling exhibition
1957 - Rosario (Argentina) - Arte Moderna en Brasil [Modern Art in Brazil] traveling exhibition
1957 - Santiago (Chile) - Arte Moderna en Brasil [Modern Art in Brazil] traveling exhibition
1957 - Valparaíso (Chile) - Arte Moderna en Brasil [Modern Art in Brazil] traveling exhibition
1971 - São Paulo SP - 36th São Paulo Fine Arts Salon - bronze medal
1975 - São Paulo SP - SPAM and CAM, at Museu Lasar Segall
1976 - São Paulo SP - Os Salões: da Família Artística Paulista, de Maio e do Sindicato dos Artistas Plásticos de São Paulo [The Salons: Família Artística Paulista, Salão de Maio and São Paulo Visual Artists' Union], at Museu Lasar Segall
1982 - São Paulo SP - From Modernism to the Bienal, at MAM/SP
1983 - São Paulo SP - Exhibition, at Galeria Arco
1984 - The Hague (Netherlands) - Color and Drawing of Brazil, organized by the Centro Brasileiro de Projetos de Arte
1984 - Lisbon (Portugal) - Color and Drawing of Brazil, organized by the Centro Brasileiro de Projetos de Arte
1984 - London (England) - Color and Drawing of Brazil, organized by the Centro Brasileiro de Projetos de Arte
1984 - Madrid (Spain) - Color and Drawing of Brazil, organized by the Centro Brasileiro de Projetos de Arte
1984 - Paris (France) - Color and Drawing of Brazil, organized by the Centro Brasileiro de Projetos de Arte
1984 - Rome (Italy) - Color and Drawing of Brazil, organized by the Centro Brasileiro de Projetos de Arte
1984 - São Paulo SP - Color and Drawing of Brazil, at MAM/SP
1984 - São Paulo SP - Tradição e Ruptura: Síntese da Arte e Cultura Brasileiras [Tradition and Rupture: Synthesis of Brazilian Art and Culture], at Fundação Bienal
1985 - São Paulo SP - 18th São Paulo International Biennial, at Fundação Bienal
1987 - São Paulo SP - Brazil Painted by Brazilian and Foreign Masters: 18th - 20th Centuries, at Masp
1992 - São Paulo SP - Sérgio's View of Brazilian Art: Drawings and Paintings, at Biblioteca Municipal Mário de Andrade
Posthumous Exhibitions
1993 - São Paulo SP - 100 Masterpieces from the Mário de Andrade Collection: Painting and Sculpture, at Instituto de Estudos Brasileiros
1994 - São Paulo SP - Bienal Brasil Século XX, at Fundação Bienal
1998 - São Paulo SP - The Collectors - Guita and José Mindlin: Matrices and Prints, at Galeria de Arte do Sesi
2000 - São Paulo SP - Brasil + 500 Rediscovery Exhibition, at Fundação Bienal
2002 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Brazilian Art in the Fadel Collection: From the Restlessness of the Modern to the Autonomy of Language, at CCBB
2002 - São Paulo SP - Brazilian Art in the Fadel Collection: From the Restlessness of the Modern to the Autonomy of Language, at CCBB
2002 - São Paulo SP - Modernism: From the Week of '22 to Sérgio Milliet's Art Section, at CCSP
2003 - São Paulo SP - Art and Society: A Controversial Relationship, at Itaú Cultural
2004 - São Paulo SP - New Acquisitions: 1995 - 2003, at MAB/Faap
Source: Itaú Cultural
