Modesto Brocos This picture, called “A redenção de Cam”, was made by Modesto Brocos. He was born in Spain in 1852, but he lived in Brazil between 1890 and 1936, when he died. In Brazil, he studied in

Ana Paula Caldeira

Modesto Brocos This picture, called “A redenção de Cam”, was made by Modesto Brocos. He was born in Spain in 1852, but he lived in Brazil between 1890 and 1936, when he died. In Brazil, he studied in the “Escola Nacional de Belas Artes” and was pupil of Victor Meirelles, an important Brazilian painter. In 19th century, the racial theories had become widespread in Brazil. Some Brazilian intellectuals believed that the development of the country was conditioned to the bleaching of the Brazilian people. Therefore, this idea stimulated the mix between Brazilian people (metis by nature) and white foreign. They wanted that Brazil becomes a white country in the course of time. The picture “A Redenção de Cam” shows this idea. We can see three characters in front to a very simple house. On the left, there is an old black woman with his hands up, as if thanking God for something. In the center of the painting, we can see a younger woman with a child in his arms. She is a metis woman, but his son is white. On the right, there is a white man. He watches them with pride. The paint message is very clear: the black woman gives thank because his grandson is a white child. The marriage between her daughter and a white man enabled the blanching of her family. The title of the picture is a reference to the story of Cam, the Noé’s son. He was cursed because he laughed while watched his father drunken and naked. Cam was sentenced to be slave of his brothers. In the past, some people believed that the black people were descendants of Cam. Today, this picture is in the Museu Nacional de Belas Artes in Rio de Janeiro. But it was presented in London in 1895.

Dec 4, 2014 4:05 PM

Corrections · 2

Modesto Brocos

This picture, called “A redenção de Cam”, was made by Modesto Brocos. He was born in Spain in 1852, but he lived in Brazil between 1890 and 1936, when he died. In Brazil, he studied at the “Escola Nacional de Belas Artes” and was a pupil of Victor Meirelles, an important Brazilian painter.

In the 19th century, the racial theories had become widespread in Brazil. Some Brazilian intellectuals believed that the development of the country was conditioned to the whitening of the Brazilian people. Therefore, this idea stimulated the mix between Brazilian people (mixed race by nature) and white foreign. They wanted Brazil to become a white country in the course of time.

The picture “A Redenção de Cam” shows this idea. We can see three characters in front of a very simple house. On the left, there is an old black woman with her hands up, as if thanking God for something. In the center of the painting, we can see a younger woman with a child in her arms. She is a mixed race woman, but her son is white. On the right, there is a white man. He watches them with pride. The painting's message is very clear: the black woman gives thank because her grandson is a white child. The marriage between her daughter and a white man enabled the whitening of her family. The title of the picture is a reference to the story of Ham, Noah's son. He was cursed because he laughed while watching his father drunken and naked. Ham was sentenced to be his brothers' slave. In the past, some people believed that the black people were descendants of Ham.
Today, this picture is in the Museu Nacional de Belas Artes in Rio de Janeiro. But it was presented in London in 1895.