SLEEK WORDS: ART DECO AND BRAZILIAN MODERNISM A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences of Georgetown University in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor in Philosophy in Spanish By Patricia A. Soler, M.S. Washington, DC January 23, 2014 Copyright by Patricia A. Soler All rights reserved ii SLEEK WORDS: ART DECO AND BRAZILIAN MODERNISM Patricia A. Soler, M.S. Thesis advisor: Gwen Kirkpatrick, Ph.D. ABSTRACT I explore Art Deco in the Brazilian Modernist movement during the 1920s. Art Deco is a decorative arts style that rose to global prominence during this decade and its proponents adopted and adapted the style in order to nationalize it; in the case of Brazil, the style became nationalized primarily by means of the application of indigenous motifs. The Brazilian Modernists created their own manifestations of the style, particularly in illustration and graphic design. I make this analysis by utilizing primary source materials to demonstrate the style’s prominence in Brazilian Modernism and by exploring the handcrafted and mechanical techniques used to produce the movement’s printed texts. I explore the origins of the Art Deco style and the decorative arts field and determine the sources for the style, specifically avant-garde, primitivist, and erotic sources, to demonstrate the style’s elasticity. Its elasticity allowed it to be nationalized on a global scale during the 1920s; by the 1930s, however, many fascist-leaning forces co- opted the style for their own projects. I examine the architectural field in the Brazil during the 1920s. Art Deco was a popular style and skyscrapers rapidly appeared in Rio de Janeiro with Art Deco ornamentation. I link the rapid dissemination of the style to a similar architectural style in the region, the Neocolonial Style. I examine the origins of both styles to question their claims to national “authenticity”. iii I explore Art Deco in Brazilian Modernist illustration and graphic design and trace the chronology of the printing press in Brazil. The chronology is crucial to understanding the speed with which these changes in illustration and graphic design took place in a country that had experienced centuries of print culture stagnation. My final chapter explores several books of two prominent Brazilian Modernists, Oswald de Andrade and Vicente do Rego Monteiro. The works I explore are little studied in literary criticism and I utilize the first editions of these works to demonstrate the differences between the first and later editions. My goal is to establish that new printing technologies were just as essential as the final visual product in Brazilian Modernist printed production. iv To my mother, Laurel Soler Baffes To José María Soler Amezaga, in memoriam v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I have a world of people to thank for their tremendous support and assistance during both my undergraduate and graduate academic career in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at Georgetown University. First and foremost, I would like to thank my dissertation advisor, Dr. Gwen Kirkpatrick, who had steadfastly guided and supported me from what began as a mere kernel of an idea into a full-blown dissertation. She also was of tremendous assistance in the countless letters of recommendation she wrote for me for conference and travel grants, academic seminars, and dissertation research in São Paulo, Brazil. I consider myself most fortunate to have benefited so thoroughly under her mentorship. Our monthly Dupont Circle coffee meetings to discuss dissertation developments will be most missed. I would also like to thank the countless other professors in the department who assisted me along this path. I would like to thank Dr. Vivaldo Santos and Dr. Naomi Moniz, who were the first to both suggest that I apply for the doctoral program. It was through their guidance, in addition to that of Dr. Clea Rameh and Ms. Valeria Buffo, that I decided to pursue a course of study in both Spanish and Portuguese languages, literatures, and cultures of Latin America. I must also thank Dr. Michael Ferreira for introducing me to the Special Collections Research Center at Lauinger Library. I fondly remember our work as Co-Curators for what was to be my first library exhibition. My involvement in Special Collections serves amongst my most cherished times at Georgetown University and I must thank Ms. LuLen Walker for hiring me as her Technical Curator, as well as for her mentorship and kindness. Additional thanks goes to vi Dr. John Buchtel, Ms. Karen O’Connell, Ms. Christen Runge, and Mr. Scott Taylor. And special thanks to Dr. Artemis Kirk, who strongly encouraged my work with primary source materials in the Special Collections Research Center. It was through my work at the library that I also was introduced to Dr. James O’Donnell, to whom I owe special thanks for his mentorship and for fascinating research opportunities. I must also thank Dr. Barbara Mujica, who has steadfastly supported me academically, as a mentor, and as a fellow “military woman.” My work on the Events Committee under her directorship was highly rewarding and I benefited greatly from the experience. It was by her invitation that I also became involved with the Student Veterans Association at Georgetown University, which has been by the far the most personally enriching service experience on campus that I have experienced. Countless other professors in the department have assisted me in one way or another over the past decade, whether it was in regards to research inquiries or the benefits of collegiality, among them Dr. Adam Lifshey, Dr. Ron Leow, Dr. Francisco LaRubia-Prado, Dr. Emily Francomano, Dr. Verónica Salles-Reese, Dr. Tom Walsh, and Dr. Alejandro Yarza. Special mention goes to Dr. E. Michael Gerli, who wrote my undergraduate letter of recommendation for admittance into Georgetown University, as well as the dearly departed Dr. Roberto Esquenazi-Mayo. I must also thank Professors from other departments within Georgetown that were crucial in my academic undertakings, especially Dr. Olga Meerson and Dr. Elizabeth Prelinger. I must reserve special thanks to Dr. Alfonso Morales-Front who was there from day one of my initiation to the graduate degree program (not to discount his role as my Professor of a phonetics class during my undergraduate career!) and who was always a vii phone-call away to lend his ear and support to the occasional bumps along the lengthy road that is a Ph.D. program. I am deeply thankful for his unwavering support and kindness. My dissertation research would not have been possible had it not been for Mr. Paulo Sotero and his assistance in making my three-month research experience possible at the José E. Mindlin Library in São Paulo, Brazil. I must thank Mr. Mindlin himself, who kindly gave me full access to the largest private library in Latin America, and the three librarians who worked full-time for him, particularly Ms. Cristina Atunes. And a special thanks goes to Mr. José Paulo Kupfer, my wonderful host in São Paulo, as well as to Mr. André Kupfer, Mr. Rubens Lima, and Mr. Anderson Ribeiro. I must also thank my graduate student colleagues from whom I learned so much during my doctoral degree program. Thanks goes to Irina Feldman, Roberto Pareja, Lucas Izquierdo, Jorge López-Cortina, Luis Cerezo, Melissa Baralt, Álvaro Baquero- Pecino, Michelle Farrell, Enrique Cortez, Mercedes López Rodríguez, Sacramento Rosello, Jason Robinson, Maureen Russo, Anne Calderón, Zaya Rustamova, José Cornelio, Sheri Anderson, John Mercer, Maisha Mitchell, Cecily Raynor, and Monica S. Simorangkir. And special thanks to the administrative staff, especially María Elvira Daza, Kristen Hall, and Heshima James. And lastly, I must thank my family and friends who have supported me on this long journey. Special thanks goes to my mother, Laurel, my dearly departed father, José María Soler Amezaga, my brothers Alexander and Fernando, my sister Carolina, my sister-in-law Brie, my aunt Margaret, and godmother Martha Marin. I also thank my stepfather Peter and my step-siblings, Curt, Mike, and Carrie. And I must thank my viii friends, most importantly Caroline DeCourreges, Lucía Castiñeira, Sarah Sosland, Adam Benz, Eunice K. Park, Michael Zussman, Alex Vartanian, Rachel Wagner, Thomas Guirola, and Holly Greb. And lastly, to my beloved husband, Nathaniel Baty, thank you for your constant support, understanding, patience, and love. I could not have finished my dissertation without you. ix TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter I: The Art Deco Style ........................................................................................ 8 1.1. The 1925 Exposition: Consuming Modernity ............................................. 8 1.2. The Art Deco Graphic Style ........................................................................ 16 1.3. Source Material ........................................................................................... 20 A. Avant-Garde Sources ......................................................................... 20 B. Primitive and Ancient Sources ........................................................... 27 C. Erotic Sources .................................................................................... 36 1.4. Conclusion ................................................................................................... 43 Chapter II: Brazilian Art