Aurelino dos Santos: o lúcido despertar da arte.

Abstract

This dissertation aims to investigate, through a case study, the artistic trajectory of Aurelino dos Santos, an artist from Salvador who has permeated the Bahian art market since the 1960s and whose work has achieved significant recognition in the art scene. To delve into the different aspects of his journey, the research departs from certain concepts, such as madness or self-taught, focusing instead on understanding the artist's history and his artistic development. Thus, it does not distance itself from the particularities, behaviors, and events associated with his life; quite the contrary, it delves into them to achieve the goal of deepening our understanding of his career. The events surrounding the 1960s, the period in which Aurelino began painting, are analyzed in conjunction with his own history, aiming to confirm some facts with which he is commonly associated. This analysis surveys his first documented exhibitions, verifying, at this point, the limited records surrounding his participation. This finding, which is one of the motivators of the research, then becomes an important piece of information that guides other aspects of the investigation. In this way, the relationships the artist established with the agents of art and the way in which they developed are identified, highlighting, at this point, their habits and approaches to the work. In this sense, the study examines how the public reacts to his works and their effects, whether they are consumers or admirers. It also delves into the history of society's reception of non-academic works and of people considered insane, an attribute closely linked to the artist. The effects of this connection can be seen throughout the dissertation, which sought to go beyond this framework to analyze his works. A selection of works produced between 1960 and 2000 are highlighted, divided by decades, to allow for the observation of characteristics of his practice and visual poetics. In this sense, elements, symbols, and themes are highlighted, which, over the years, have developed in tandem with the materials and methods used, demonstrating the artist's mastery of his work and the unparalleled identity of his work. The dissertation is divided into five chapters that structure the different fields of analysis through a survey of historical and documentary data, as well as observations, which complement each other throughout the reading. Ultimately, the dissertation aims to demonstrate the references and particularities that distinguish Aurelino dos Santos as a visual artist.