Mestre Expedito (Domingos Mourão PI 1932)
Expedito Antonino dos Santos was born in the town of Domingos Mourão, Piauí, in 1932. He is one of the most important representatives of the santeiro (saint-carving) art of Piauí, whose greatest exponent is Mestre Dezinho (José Alves de Oliveira, Valença do Piauí PI 1916 - 2000). Mestre Expedito learned his craft working as a joiner in his hometown. Before that, he had been a bricklayer, carpenter, shoemaker, blacksmith and maker of musical instruments. He rose to prominence as a sculptor when, encouraged by the mayor of his town, he took part in a folk art fair organized in Teresina by the Piauí State Government, where he won first place. After this success, he moved with his family to Teresina, where he has lived since 1969. In Teresina, Mestre Expedito further developed his work, carving larger and more valuable pieces, including for the Church of Nossa Senhora de Lourdes (the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, or Igreja da Vermelha, in Teresina, holds a series of works by Mestre Dezinho and is considered one of his masterpieces). Mestre Expedito was a contemporary of Mestre Dezinho and worked with him at the Igreja da Vermelha, creating the frames for the Stations of the Cross, a baptismal font and a lectern carved in high and low relief.
Devoted entirely to santeiro art, he carves saints and angels and depicts biblical scenes such as Adam and Eve in Paradise. After becoming acquainted with the work of Aleijadinho, Mestre Expedito gave his work a primitive style closer to the Baroque, that is, closer to the natural features of the body. His works also incorporate strong regional aesthetic elements, an influence of the work of another master, Mestre Dezinho. Thanks to the work he has done over the years, the artist has gained wide recognition in Brazil and abroad and is regarded as one of the most expressive santeiros working in the country. Mestre Expedito has received several awards in Brazil and abroad.
Like Mestre Dezinho, Mestre Expedito has a strong influence on the younger generation of sculptors emerging in Teresina. Most importantly, this generation of artists has not merely imitated the work of the two masters. With great creativity, they have developed their own style, much admired throughout Brazil, which has helped further consolidate Piauí's image as a center of santeiro art.
Mestre Expedito says he has made more than ten thousand sculptures, especially of Saint Francis, Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, Saint Anthony and angels, many of which are in some 50 churches in Piauí, Rio de Janeiro and other countries, such as Chile. Mestre Expedito feels honored that they are venerated by the faithful.
In 2005, Mestre Expedito was awarded the Medalha do Mérito Renascença do Piauí, the highest honor granted by the state government.
Source: Catalog of the exhibition “Arte em madeira do Piauí: santos e sertões do imaginário” [Wood Art of Piauí: Saints and Backlands of the Imagination], Sala do Artista Popular, Centro Nacional de Folclore e Cultura Popular, Rio de Janeiro, 2010.
