Carnival and Beyond: Contemporary Brazilian Art, Spring 2020 ARH 361 / LAS 327 Tuesday & Thursday, 2:00–3:30 pm, ART 1.204

Instructor: Professor Adele Nelson Email: [email protected] Office: DFA 2.508 Office hours: Wednesdays, 1:00-4:00pm or by appointment

Course description: Brazil, the fifth largest nation in the world, is also among the most culturally and ethnically diverse in the world. Representations of Brazil, with its vast geography and its varied people and culture, have undergone profound transformations since the encounter of the Portuguese with native peoples of the New World in 1500. This course surveys the trajectory of Brazilian art from the first moments of cultural collision through the long periods of colonial and modern history before focusing on the contemporary arts of Brazil of the last two decades. The art and visual culture we will be studying is wide-ranging: indigenous terra-forming and ceramics; Tupí featherwork; art and architecture created when Brazil was a colony and subsequently the seat of the Portuguese Empire; and avant-garde modern and contemporary art of various media. Together we will study how artistic practices have contributed to different national and international models for representing Brazilian national identity, as well as the ethical, aesthetic, political, and/or social repercussions of these practices and models.

Your semester-long research and writing project for the course will focus on recent Brazilian art. Brazilian artists working today face a paradoxical situation: while Brazilian contemporary art occupies a privileged place in global museums and the commercial art world, cultural expression in Brazil is being stifled. Initiated by the Temer administration and accelerating under the recently inaugurated far-right Bolsonaro presidency, democratic institutions in the country are being eroded and its cultural entities are being eliminated or surveilled. Artists whose work addresses topics such as race, sexuality, gender, and histories of inequity are particularly at risk. In conjunction with the research and planning for Social Fabric: Art and Activism in Contemporary Brazil, an exhibition co-organized by Prof. Nelson and MacKenzie Stevens, Director of the Visual Arts Center, and tentatively scheduled for Fall 2021, we will examine how artists are relating to, reflecting on, and resisting the democratic erosion underway in Brazil.

The course will take advantage of the excellent Brazilian art collection at the Blanton Museum of Art as well as the Brazilian Studies Association Congress to be held at UT March 26–28, 2020.

Writing flag: This course carries the Writing Flag. Writing Flag courses are designed to give students experience with writing in an academic discipline. In this class, you can expect to write regularly during the semester, complete substantial writing projects, and receive feedback from your instructor to help you improve your writing. You will also have the opportunity to revise one or more assignments, and you may be asked to read and discuss your peers’ work. You should therefore expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from your written work. Writing Flag classes meet the Core Communications objectives of Critical Thinking, Communication, Teamwork, and Personal Responsibility, established by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

Global Cultures flag: This course carries the Global Cultures flag. Global Cultures courses are designed to increase your familiarity with cultural groups outside the United States. You should therefore expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from assignments covering the practices, beliefs, and histories of at least one non-U.S. cultural group, past or present.

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Class structure: We meet two days a week, Tuesday & Thursday. Please be on time, as late arrivals, and early departures, are disruptive. This course combines lectures with discussion, and attendance is essential. Everything we will study and analyze in class will not be covered in the readings. You are expected to be an active participant in the class: asking questions, answering questions, and engaging with each other as well as with the readings and works of art. See accompanying guidelines for critical reading.

Learning objectives: Students who successfully complete this course will: 1. Gain familiarity with the art of Brazil in terms of style, form, and historical context; 2. Refine their interpretative skills in looking at art and visual culture of different periods; 3. Develop fluency and confidence in writing about art; 4. Identify and become conversant with a variety of art historical methodologies; 5. Acquire the ability to assess and discuss critically a variety of texts. 6. Acquire or develop the knowledge and skills to write a research paper, including finding, analyzing, and evaluating primary and secondary sources; formulating an argument; revising writing based on peer and instructor feedback; and correctly employing Chicago Manual of Style documentation formatting.

Required texts: The required readings are available on Canvas.

Additional suggested texts for background reading (on reserve at the Fine Arts Library): Jacqueline Barnitz and Patrick Frank. Twentieth-Century Art of Latin America. Revised & expanded edition. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2015. (also available at University Co- op) Boris Fausto. A Concise History of Brazil. Trans. Arthur Brakel. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press, 1999. Darlene J. Sadlier. Brazil Imagined: 1500 to the Present. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2008. (also available at University Co-op as Print-on-Demand with 5-7 day delivery) Thomas E. Skidmore. Brazil: Five Centuries of Change. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010.

Reference & writing guidance texts (on reserve at the Fine Arts Library, unless noted otherwise): Sylvan Barnet. A Short Guide to Writing about Art. 11th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2015. The Chicago Manual of Style. 15th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003. (electronic access via library catalog; 16th ed reference desk at Perry-Castañeda Library) Andrea A. Lunsford. Easy Writer: A Pocket Reference. 4th ed. Boston and New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2010. Marjorie Munsterberg, Writing About Art. Available at: writingaboutart.org

Requirements/Grading: As this is a writing flag class, emphasis will be placed on students’ ability to effectively express themselves through a series of written essays. The quality of the student’s written expression will be an important component in determining the student’s course grade. Assessment will also be based on the student’s ability to synthesize ideas presented and discussed in class and drawn from weekly assigned readings, as well as on their ability to organize and present their independent research. All assignments and papers are designed to allow students to develop critical thinking skills, hone their writing skills, and develop the abilities to effectively synthesize ideas presented in class with those drawn from assigned readings into well-constructed and well-argued essays.

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Writing component: Students will submit three papers. Each paper will be worth 20%, for a total of 60% of your final grade. These papers require independent research done in close consultation with the instructor.

Students will also submit three written assignments, each worth 5%, for a total of 15% of your grade.

Overall class participation: Participation in class discussions and presentations on the papers will account for the last 25% of your total grade. Your participation grade includes prompt and regular attendance and active, substantive participation in class discussions of assigned readings and peer research.

Papers and Presentations: Paper One: Choose a topic of an artist and specific work, from the working artist list of Social Fabric: Art and Activism in Contemporary Brazil or the larger list of contemporary Brazilian artists. Once you have chosen your work, construct an annotated bibliography using at least 6 art historical or art critical sources. Explain the significance of each source and why you chose it. This paper should be at least 3 pages long. You will make a brief (5 minute) presentation in class on your topic and annotated bibliography. Please refer to the following guide as you write your annotated bibliographies: http://library.ucsc.edu/help/howto/write-an-annotated-bibliography

Paper Two: Using the same work chosen for Paper One, construct an annotated bibliography using at least 6 non-art historical sources that provide a fuller view of the context (region, political events, etc.) in which your work was created. Your entries should focus on why you chose these sources, and how they expanded your understanding of the context in which your work was created. This paper should be at least 3 pages long. You will make a brief (5 minute) presentation in class on this non-art historical annotated bibliography. You are encouraged to incorporate feedback presented on the first paper/annotated bibliographies and your presentation, by both the professor and your fellow students into Paper Two.

Paper Three: This paper fully presents and discusses the work you have chosen and incorporates the information from the sources in your bibliographies (Papers One and Two). It also incorporates revisions from the peer review process, feedback from the instructor on Papers One and Two, and the re-thinking and and/or re-organization of your ideas as a result of this feedback. Paper Three should be a synthesis of your ideas that have developed throughout the semester on your chosen topic; it should go well beyond the broad treatment of works offered by survey texts and incorporate various methods and approaches and pertinent art historical and historical questions learned from class discussions and readings. This paper should be approximately 12-15 pages in length. You will make a final presentation (10 minutes) to the class on your final paper that places your chosen work within its art historical and cultural context. Final presentations must use images, either in slide or PowerPoint form. Final papers must also include bibliographies (not annotated), and images that include complete citation information.

Assignments: Assignments are 2-page statements that discuss the topics listed below and discussed in class. They are designed to help students synthesize the main ideas from class discussions and develop critical reading and writing skills. Students should focus on the main ideas of the readings, the types of evidence used to construct the arguments, and the methods employed. You may either answer these questions for your Assignments or you can substitute any guest lecture/speaker series event (in the department, at the Blanton; anything pertinent to the history of art) and write up a summary/response to the lecture. 1. Giving careful reading to the texts by Silviano Santiago and Marshall C. Eakin, discuss how the issues of history and future potentialities frame the discussion of Brazil by these authors. What role do they assign to colonialism? In Texas, we too are in a context informed by

3 multiple histories of colonialism. Do the issues the authors analyze resonate with contexts (national or otherwise) from your experience? 2. Make the case for the inclusion of a Brazilian pre-Columbian, colonial, or modern object we studied in class in the permanent collection display at the Blanton Museum of Art. Consider how the inclusion of Brazilian pre-contact, colonial, or twentieth-century visual culture would alter or reinforce the current interpretations employed by the museum. Employ one of the key concepts utilized by the authors we read, e.g. intercultural exchange, colonial identity, or critical swallowing. 3. Make the case for the inclusion of the contemporary Brazilian artwork on which you have focused your research paper in the permanent collection display at the Blanton Museum of Art. How would you make the relevant political contexts legible to visitors to the museum?

Grading: Grade breakdown: Assignments (each 5%): 15% Class participation (including map quiz): 25% Papers (each 20%): 60%

The University of Texas grading system: A (4.00) = 94–100 B (3.00) = 83–86 C (2.00) = 73–76 D (1.00) = 63–66 A- (3.67) = 90–93 B- (2.67) = 80–82 C- (1.67) = 70–72 D- (.67) = 60–62 B+ (3.33) = 87–89 C+ (2.33) = 77–79 D+ (1.33) = 67–69 F (.00) = 0–59

Writing and studying support: I strongly encourage you to use the Undergraduate Writing Center (UWC), which is located in the Learning Commons, PCL 2.330 (512-471-6222, uwc.utexas.edu). The UWC offers free, individualized, expert help with writing for any UT undergraduate, by appointment or on a drop-in basis. Any undergraduate enrolled in a course at UT can visit the UWC for assistance with any writing project. Their services are not just for writing with “problems.” Getting feedback from an informed audience is a normal part of a successful writing project. Consultants help students develop strategies to improve their writing. The assistance they provide is intended to foster independence. Each student determines how to use the consultant's advice. The consultants are trained to help you work on your writing in ways that preserve the integrity of your work. The Sanger Learning Center (JEL A332, 512-471-3614, utexas.edu/ugs/slc/) provides study skills, time- management, and note-taking courses.

Office hours: I am eager to get to know you individually, help you succeed in the course, and discuss larger intellectual and professional opportunities during and after your undergraduate degree (in & outside of the field of Art History). Please come see me.

Class policies: Attendance: Attendance is required at all class meetings and will be taken at the beginning of each class. If you miss more than two class meetings, your participation grade will drop an increment for each subsequent class you miss (an A will become a A-).

Assignments: Assignments are due as hard copies (no emailed files, please) by the date & time indicated on the syllabus. Late papers will be subject to a grade penalty for each class meeting the paper is late (a B will be become a B-).

Use of cell phones, laptops, etc.: The use of laptops, tablets, cell phones, etc. is not allowed during class.

4 Course schedule: January 21 Introduction to the course

January 23 Issues in the Study of Art of Brazil Marshall C. Eakin, “Introduction: The Country of the Future?” Brazil: The Once and Future Country (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1997), n.p., 1–6. Silviano Santiago, “Why and For What Purpose Does the European Travel?,” The Space In-Between: Essays on Latin American Culture, Ed. Ana Lúcia Gazzola (Durham and London: Duke University Press, 2001), 9–24.

January 28 Choose and discuss paper topics for Paper One and semester research

Jan. 29 Optional panel discussion by Carmen Argote, George Flaherty, and Laura Gutiérrez, 3pm, ART 1.102

January 30 Research strategies & visual resources with Fine Art Librarian ASSIGNMENT ONE DUE

ART & SOCIETY IN PRE-CONTACT, COLONIAL, AND IMPERIAL BRAZIL February 4 Framing Indigenous Brazil through Terra Preta and Marajoara Culture MAP QUIZ Simon Romero, “Once Hidden by Forest, Carvings in Land Attest to Amazon’s Lost World,” The New York Times, January 15, 2012, A6. Denise Schaan, “Into the Labyrinths of Marajoara Pottery: Status and Cultural Identity in Prehistoric America,” Unknown Amazon, Eds. Colin McEwan, Cristina Barreto, and Eduardo Neves (London: British Museum, 2001), 108–33.

February 6 Tupinambá Brazil, Intercultural Exchange, and Tropes of Cannibalism Amy Buono, “Tupi Featherwork and the Dynamics of Intercultural Exchange in Early Modern Brazil,” Crossing Cultures: Conflict, Migration and Convergence. The Proceedings of the 32nd International Congress of the History of Art, Ed. Jaynie Anderson (Carlton, Australia: Miegunyah Press; Melbourne University Publishing, 2009), 349–55. Beth Conklin, “Cannibal Epistemologies,” Consuming Grief: Compassionate Cannibalism in an Amazonian Society (Austin: University of Texas Press, 2001), 3–15.

Feb. 10 Optional lecture by Natalia Majluf, noon, CLAVIS

February 11 The Formation of Colonial Identities and Imperial Identities Stuart B. Schwartz, “The Formation of a Colonial Identity in Brazil,” Colonial Identity in the Atlantic World, 1500-1800, Eds. Nicholas Canny and Anthony Pagden (New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1987), 15–50. Tania Costa Tribe, “The Mulatto Artist and Image in Colonial Brazil,” The Oxford Art Journal 19, no. 1 (1996), 67–79.

5 David Underwood, “Civilizing Rio de Janeiro: Four Centuries of Conquest through Architecture,” Art Journal 51. no. 4. (Winter 1992), 48–56.

February 13 Cinematic Portrayals of Colonial Brazil: Nelson Pereira dos Santos, How Tasty was my Little Frenchman, 1971 & Carlos Diegues, Xica da Silva, 1976 Sadlier 2008, Chapter 7, 234–73. Darién J. Davis, “Hans Staden & How Tasty was my Little Frenchman,” American Historical Review 106, no. 2 (2001), 695–97. Carlos Diegues, “Cinema Novo” (1962) in Randal Johnson and Robert Stam, eds., Brazilian Cinema (New York: Columbia University Press, 1995), 64–68.

February 18 Presentations on Paper One and peer review PAPER ONE DUE

Feb. 19 Optional artist talk by Rosana Paulino, 3pm, ART 1.102

February 20 Presentations on Paper One and peer review Paper Two assigned and discussed

Feb. 20 Optional keynote address and opening reception of 2020 Lozano Long Conference: Black Women’s Intellectual Contributions to the Americas, 7pm, LLILAS

Feb. 21 Optional day 2 of 2020 Lozano Long Conference: Black Women’s Intellectual Contributions to the Americas, 9am-5:30pm, LLILAS

February 25 Presentations on Paper One and peer review

THE ART OF MODERN & POSTWAR BRAZIL February 27 Cannibalism and Other Modernist Strategies Leslie Bary, “Oswald de Andrade’s ‘Cannibalist Manifesto,’” Latin American Literary Review 19, no. 38 (1991), 35–37. Oswald de Andrade, “Cannibalist Manifesto” (1928), Latin American Literary Review 19, no. 38 (1991), 38–47. Portinari of Brazil (New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 1940).

March 3 Visit to Blanton to study works in galleries

March 5 Visit to Blanton to study works in Print Study Room

March 10 Concrete & Neo-Concrete Art, and A New Modernist Capital ASSIGNMENT TWO DUE Barnitz/Frank 2015, 181–191, 235–253. Valerie Fraser, “Brasilia,” Building the New World: Studies in the Modern Architecture of Latin America 1930–1960 (London: Verso, 2000), 212– 40. “Ruptura Manifesto” (1952) and Ferreira Gullar, “Neo-Concrete Manifesto” (1959), Inverted Utopias: Avant-Garde Art in Latin

6 America, Eds. Mari Carmen Ramírez and Héctor Olea (Houston: Museum of Fine Arts Houston, 2004), 494, 496–97.

Mar. 11 Optional talk by Jaime Lauriano, CLAVIS Mar. 12 Optional talk by Jaime Lauriano, ART 1.120

March 12 Art under Military Dictatorship Barnitz/Frank 2015, 288, 293–302. Claudia Calirman, “Naked Man, Flaming Chickens: A Brief History of Brazilian Performance Art,” Arte no es vida: Actions by Artists of the Americas, 1960–2000, Ed. Deborah Cullen (New York: El Museo del Barrio, 2008), 102–13. Paulo Herkenhoff, “A Labyrinthine Ghetto: The Work of Cildo Meireles,” Paulo Herkenhoff, Gerardo Mosquera, and Dan Cameron, Cildo Meireles (London: Phaidon, 1999), 38–78.

March 16–21 No class (Spring break)

March 24 Art of the 80s & 90s Victor Zamudio-Taylor, “Ultrabaroque: Art, Mestizaje, Globalization,” Ultra Baroque: Aspects of Post Latin American Art, Eds. Elizabeth Armstrong and Victor Zamudio-Taylor (San Diego: Museum of Contemporary Art, 2000), 141–60. Jac Leirner in Conversation with Adele Nelson/Jac Leirner en conversación con Adele Nelson (New York: Fundación Cisneros/Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros, 2011), 16–30.

March 26 Attend session at the Brazilian Studies Association Congress

Mar. 26-28 Optional Brazilian Studies Association Congress, Texas Union Mar. 28 Optional Greenhill Symposium, Department of Art & Art History, ART 1.110

March 31 Presentations on Paper Two and peer review PAPER TWO DUE

April 2 Presentations on Paper Two and peer review Paper Three assigned and discussed

April 7 Presentations of Paper Two and peer review

CONTEMPORARY ART, 2000S–PRESENT April 9 A Veiled Coup? A Return to Dictatorship? Wendy Hunter and Timothy J. Power, “Bolsonaro and Brazil’s Illiberal Backlash,” Journal of Democracy 30.1 (January 2019): 68–82. Petra Costa, The Edge of Democracy, 2009 (excerpt to be screened in class)

April 14 Evaluating Curatorial Approaches: Contemporary Art and the Market Tumelo Mosaka and Irene V. Small, Blind Field (Champaign, Ill.: Krannert Art Museum, 2013) Jennifer Lange, et al., Cruzamentos: Contemporary Art in Brazil (Columbus, Oh. Wexner Center for the Arts, 2014)

7 Catalogues of PIPA prize (2010–2019) ASSIGNMENT THREE DUE

April 16 Evaluating Curatorial Approaches: History Telling as Political Speech Gaudêncio Fidelis, Queermuseu: Cartografias da diferencia na arte brasileira (Rio de Janeiro: Escola de Artes Visuais do Parque Lage, 2018). Luis Camillo Osorio, 35ª Panorama da arte brasileira: Brasil por multiplição (São Paulo: Museu de Arte Moderna, 2017). Adriano Pedrosa, et al., Histórias afro-atlânticas (São Paulo: Museu de Arte de São Paulo, 2018).

April 21 No class (Prof. Nelson at Mercosul Bienal International Seminar in Porto Alegre, Brazil) Individual work on Paper Three

April 23 No class (Prof. Nelson at Mercosul Bienal International Seminar in Porto Alegre, Brazil) Individual work on Paper Three

April 28 Final Presentations on Paper Three and class discussion

April 30 Final Presentations on Paper Three and class discussion

May 5 Final Presentations on Paper Three and class discussion

May 7 Final Presentations on Paper Three and class discussion

May 13 PAPER THREE DUE by 3pm

8 University policies: Accommodations: Any student with a documented disability who requires academic accommodations should contact Services for Students with Disabilities at 512-471-6259 (voice) or 512-410-6644 (Video Phone) as soon as possible to request an official letter outlining authorized accommodations.

Religious holy days: By UT Austin policy, you must notify me of your pending absence at least fourteen days prior to the date of observance of a religious holy day. If you must miss a class, an examination, a work assignment, or a project in order to observe a religious holy day, you will be given an opportunity to complete the missed work within a reasonable time after the absence.

Academic Integrity: A fundamental principle for any educational institution, academic integrity is highly valued and seriously regarded at The University of Texas at Austin. More specifically, you and other students are expected to maintain absolute integrity and a high standard of individual honor in scholastic work undertaken at the University. This is a very basic expectation that is further reinforced by the University's Honor Code. At a minimum, you should complete any assignments, exams, and other scholastic endeavors with the utmost honesty, which requires you to: • acknowledge the contributions of other sources to your scholastic efforts; • complete your assignments independently unless expressly authorized to seek or obtain assistance in preparing them; • follow instructions for assignments and exams, and observe the standards of your academic discipline; and • avoid engaging in any form of academic dishonesty on behalf of yourself or another student. Students who violate University rules on academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary penalties, including the possibility of failure in the course and/or dismissal from the University. Since such dishonesty harms the individual, all students, and the integrity of the University, policies on academic dishonesty will be strictly enforced. For further information, please visit the Student Conduct and Academic Integrity website at: http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/conduct.

Plagiarism: Plagiarism is strictly forbidden. Using someone else’s work in your own writing without giving proper credit is considered plagiarism, a serious form of academic dishonesty that can result in severe penalties. Copying someone else’s work, buying a paper and submitting it as your own, copying and pasting text (even with changes), or borrowing images from an online source, are some examples of plagiarism. Even if you plagiarize accidentally, you can be held responsible and penalized. Learning to cite sources appropriately is an important part of becoming a professional. When you are unsure about citation, you are encouraged to ask your instructor (who is already an expert in the discipline) what is appropriate in the context of your assignment. Consultants at The University Writing Center can also help you determine whether you are citing sources correctly—and they have helpful guides online for using direct quotations and paraphrasing. Reviewing those skills will help you feel confident that you are handling sources professionally in your writing. You can read the University’s definition of plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty in Sec. 11–402 of the Student Conduct Code. For more information, visit the Dean of Students’ site. UT Libraries also provides a guide on avoiding plagiarism.

Counseling and health services: Taking care of your general well-being is an important step in being a successful student. University Health Services (healthyhorns.utexas.edu) provides medical and health promotion services for currently enrolled students and some non-students who are officially enrolled in certain University programs. The Counseling and Mental Health Center (CMHC) helps students with their personal

9 concerns so that they can meet the daily challenges of student life (M-F 8–5, SSB, 5th floor, 512-471-3515, cmhc.utexas.edu). CMHC Crisis Line is 24/7 (512-471-2255, cmhc.utexas.edu/24hourcounseling.html) The Counselors in Academic Residence (CARE) initiative has placed a counselor in the College of Fine Arts who can meet with students to discuss mental health issues: CARE Counselor Maria Timm, PhD, , DFA 1.204B. Call her at 512-471-0392 and ask to schedule an appointment. Or go by Maria’s office during her office hours Mondays, 9-10am. If her door is open, you are welcome to ask her about services.

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