Photography and the Construction of São Paulo, 1930–1955
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City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 5-2019 Framing the City: Photography and the Construction of São Paulo, 1930–1955 Danielle J. Stewart The Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/3273 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] FRAMING THE CITY: PHOTOGRAPHY AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF SÃO PAULO, 1930-1955 by DANIELLE STEWART A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Art History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, The City University of New York 2019 © 2019 DANIELLE STEWART All Rights Reserved !ii Framing the City: Photography and the Construction of São Paulo, 1930-1955 by Danielle Stewart This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in Art History in satisfaction of the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. _________________ ________________________________ Date Anna Indych-López Chair of Examining Committee __________________ ________________________________ Date Rachel Kousser Executive Officer Supervisory Committee: Katherine Manthorne M. Antonella Pelizzari Edward J. Sullivan THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK !iii ABSTRACT Framing the City: Photography and the Construction of São Paulo, 1930-1955 by Danielle Stewart Advisor: Anna Indych-López Between 1930 and 1955 São Paulo, Brazil experienced a period of accelerated growth as the population nearly quadrupled from 550,000 to two million. In response, the municipal government undertook an aggressive public works program and commercial building boomed. Photographic representations of the cityscape were essential in directing modern São Paulo’s physical evolution because they reflected both the real—a chaotically growing megacity—and the ideal—a literally new, modernized space. This dissertation centers on four case studies of artists practicing different photographic modalities in order to analyze the symbiotic relationship between São Paulo's urban development and its photographic representation. Construction sites, scaffolding, and building materials were ubiquitous in modern Paulistano visual culture. Chapter one discusses photography’s incorporation of construction materials and processes through the fine art photography of Geraldo de Barros, arguing that these elements framed the way the city was seen and interpreted, offered new viewpoints, and shaped the city’s identity as a space continually in-process. Chapter two builds on this foundation, explaining how photographs of skyscrapers (both those already built and those still under-construction) by early Brazilian photojournalist Hildegarde Rosenthal fueled ufanista, or patriotic, rhetoric that promoted São Paulo as an icon of national progress and located its modernity in its vertical rise. This chapter also examines the relationship between words and photographs in the popular press, suggesting that the city itself transformed into a text to be !iv read as it was navigated. Evaluating the role of São Paulo’s citizens in determining the shape of their city, chapter three analyzes photographs published in albums heralding the city’s four hundredth anniversary in 1954. The books overwhelmingly linked regional modernism to a European legacy that excluded many Paulistanos on the basis of race, class, or gender. I argue that marginalizing these groups also marginalized their civic interests, altering the urban landscape. Documentary photographer Alice Brill’s production is an exception to this rule and demonstrates a rare example of the “social documentary” mode operating in Brazil. Finally, the fourth chapter traces the development of São Paulo’s advertising industry via the commercial photography of Hans Gunter Flieg, explaining how the broad definition of the term “propaganda” in Portuguese serves to link the country’s public and private sectors. Here, my analysis focuses on advertising photographs that exploited urban imagery and embellished public space. !v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS When I registered for my first art history course during my second semester as an undergraduate at Brigham Young University, I had no idea how life-changing that decision would be. While the subject matter captivated me, is was the personal and professional relationships the program facilitated that led me to become an art historian. At BYU, I was befriended and mentored by Professors Heather Jensen, Mark Magleby, Martha Peacock, Marian Wardle, Cynthia Finlayson, Mark Johnson, Rex Nielsen, Matthew Wickman, and especially my MA advisor, James Swensen. These beloved professors continue to be my role models as I continue my academic journey. Likewise, BYU as an institution was an exceptional campus-community where I was financially supported in conducting archival research, traveling internationally, curating, and publishing as an undergraduate. I attribute much of my good fortune in being accepted into The Graduate Center’s Art history PhD program to the advocacy of Professor Katherine Manthorne. Her early enthusiasm for my work and directed teaching during my first years as a doctoral student were foundational to the formation of my intellectual profile. She provided opportunities for me to explore new topics in inter-American exchange, research abroad, and to publish my work. Her guidance throughout the writing process helped me to vastly improve the final text. When my dissertation topic drifted out of the nineteenth century and into the twentieth, Professor Anna Indych-López agreed to take me on as an advisee, in spite of an already ambitious roster of students. I am enormously grateful for the faith she demonstrated in my abilities through her assent to work with me on this project. Professor Indych-López pushed me to become a clearer and more persuasive writer, as well as a more vigilant researcher. She has been my primary cicerone through the landscape of Latin American art, and the person most committed to helping me navigate its professional circles. Finally, she has provided crucial encouragement and support as I have painstakingly progressed through the difficult terrains of long-form writing and job-searching. I owe her an enormous debt of gratitude. !vi Professors Indych-López and Manthorne have been my principal, but not my only, sources of academic support throughout my doctoral program. Professor Maria Antonella Pelizzari has generously directed my study of the history of photography and her input fundamentally shaped the framing of my project. Professor Marta Gutman’s invitation to present my research on her panel at SACRPH opened doors to new networks and opportunities. Through their courses and advising Professors Claire Bishop and Jenn Ball also played key roles in my intellectual development. As Executive Officer, Professor Rachel Kousser has also provided encouragement, and acted as an advocate for my work. Outside of The Graduate Center, Professors Harper Montgomery, Paul Jaskot, and Edward Sullivan’s teaching stands out as particularly impactful on my ways of thinking. I am especially grateful to Professor Sullivan who been generously offered me key opportunities to participate in the Latin American art history community both within New York and beyond. My studies at The Graduate Center were materially enriched by the presence of a strong cohort of Latin Americanists who provided moral support, editing help, and important counsel throughout the process of writing and defending. In particular I’d like to thank Abigail Lapin Dardashti, Liz Donato, Mya Dosch, Sonja Gandert, Caroline Gillaspie, Tie Jojima, Ana Perry, Horacio Ramos, Gillian Sneed, and Luisa Valle for their camaraderie and collegiality. I learned to love São Paulo through my interactions with a core group of amigas Paulistanas who were my first guides through the city. They hosted me in their homes, fed me, advised me, and invited me into their families. Because of them I got to experience places in the city that most tourists and researchers never get to see, including the often-neglected regions of São Miguel Paulista and Diadema. My travels within these city “margins” strengthened my project and broadened my understanding. Many thanks to Verônica Ferreira, Marcia Ferreira Bennetti, Albiena Paiva Miranda, Priscila Lima, Wal Gomes Dos Santos, Andrea Batista Balieiro, and Lilian Matheus. The help and hospitality of Daniela Fernandes Alarcon has been especially critical to this project. I was introduced to Daniela through Silvia Czapski—the daughter of Alice Brill and an !vii important resource for this study in her own right. Daniela had written a magnificent investigation of Brill’s photography as an undergraduate at the Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Her analysis is mature, insightful, and nuanced. I owe much of my success in disseminating Brill’s photography to the foundation Daniela provided. A busy scholar and activist in her own right, Daniela nevertheless took time to host me in her homes in Brasília and Rio de Janeiro, orient my research, look over my translations, and discuss the finer points of Brazilian history and politics with me. She has been a true friend and a shining example of scholarly integrity. I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the institutional sponsors