By Shaunt Petrossian

Brazilian Culture(Part 2)

Sports• As mentioned in part 1, sports are a

heavily celebrated part of Brazilian culture that polarizes their culture from the rest of the world.

• Athletes such as Kaka(pictured right) and all-time great Pele are more than just athletes, they are role models, icons and international representative for Brazilian culture.

• Brazilians have a fervent culture that appreciates their sports; during World Cup soccer matches, the whole country is practically shut down and tuned into their televisions to witness their stars play for their country; football and sports are somewhat of a sacred part of Brazilian culture.

Dance• Perhaps the most iconic and symbolic

dance of Brazil and their culture is the Samba(shown right). The name’s origin derives from a word that means a man inviting a woman to dance.

• On popular American show such as Dancing with The Stars, contestants are seen dancing a multitude of Brazilian dances aside from the Samba such as Capoiera, Lambada, and Forro.

• Dance is so popular in Brazil that there are festivals constantly in Rio dedicated to the theatrical expression of dance. “Samba” in the festival version of the word is a dedication of movement for expressing the favor of the Gods and music ad movement.

Art

• Cândido Portinari is regarded as one of the most important Brazilian painters and muralists; one of the key influences of neo-realism style of painting.

• In Brazil’s early history, Brazilian artists shared artistic influences from the European Baroque styles yet more recently there’s been a surge of appreciation for this neo-realistic style of art such as Portinari’s mural here which can be seen at the United States Library of Congress .

Sculptures• There have been several different ages

of sculpture in Brazil, the natives of Brazil used ceramics as their form of sculptures but in the more recent times Brazilian sculpture evolved to Baroque and eventually Modernism.

• Seen here on the right is a sculpture of the west façade of the Church of the Third Order of St Francis in Ouro Pretoby Antônio Francisco Lisboa (known as Aleijadinho). Aleijadinho has been regarded as the most prominent Baroque and Rococo influenced sculptures and his works are highly regarded by Brazilians and foreigners alike.

• Today there is a movement towards modernism a la the rest of the world but famous landmarks from the Baroque and Rococo time period are still appreciated today as an instrumental part of Brazilian culture.

• Sports– http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sport_in_Brazil

• Dance– http://www.buzzle.com/articles/brazilian-

dance.html

• Art– http://daytranslations.com/famous_brazilians.as

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• Sculpture – http://www.letsgo.com/22526-latin_america-

travel-guides-brazil-cultural_essentials-art_history-sculpture-c

Sources