The Modern Art Week of 1922

By: L. Roschel

The Modern Art Week of 1922 is often celebrated as a groundbreaking event that revolutionized Brazilian art, literature, and culture. However, despite its legendary status, the event was not entirely embraced by everyone. Indeed, many contemporary critics, modern observers and upper class-men who visited museums hold opinions that challenge the popular narrative surrounding the movement. 
The event shocked part of the population and brought to light a new vision of artistic processes, as well as the presentation of a “more Brazilian” art. This is because there was a break from more academic art, contributing to an aesthetic change and the Modernist Movement in Brazil. Mário de Andrade was one of the central figures of the Modern Art Week of 1922. He was alongside other organizers: the writer Oswald de Andrade and the artist Di Cavalcanti in addition to Tarsila do Amaral, Anita Malfatti and Zina Aita. 
The impact was so aggravating that some reports of the time suggested that audiences reacted negatively, with some openly mocking the presentations, protests and even attempts to commit artists to mental hospitals due to the fact they deviated from the norms of society at the time. This alienation led some to question whether the event did more harm than good in promoting modern art in Brazil. Rather than inspiring the public, the movement created a greater divide between traditional and modern artists.
Brazilian Modern Art involved the absence of formalism, a break with academicism and traditionalism, criticism of the Parnassian model, the influence of European artistic avant-gardes (futurism, cubism, dadaism, surrealism, expressionism), the valorization of Brazilian identity and culture, and nationalist and everyday themes. The new art explored during the 13th, 15th and 17th of February caused even more strong emotions in the audience. For example, on the third day the theater was emptier, there was a musical performance with a mix of instruments, performed by the Rio de Janeiro native Villa-Lobos. The musician went on stage wearing a tailcoat and a shoe on one foot and a flip-flop on the other. The audience booed, thinking it was an insult, but it was later explained that the artist had a callus on his foot.
These artists together transformed in just three days the concept of art that was defined at the time and what Brazilian Art meant. They were insulted, mistreated and humiliated, however they never stopped going after what they believed in, further enriching our culture with magnificent works with their controversial, unpopular and debatable opinions.