Georgina de Albuquerque and Augusto Bracet

gender narratives in dispute in the artistic construction of the Centenary of Brazilian Independence

Abstract

This article moves between questioning the male artistic canons that build our national historical memory and the possibilities of expanding references about the representations that underpin relationships in society. In this way, we consider the visual narratives of Brazilian independence to be a starting point for the possible development of other discourses, which could also include records of women's actions in the process of emancipation. To this end, we can critically reflect on Georgina de Albuquerque's historical painting, Session of the Council of State (1922), which was made to commemorate the Centenary of Brazilian Independence and which, along with three other works by male artists, were bought by the federal government with the intention of linking the commemorative date to the construction of national symbols associated with the new political regime. The aim is to discuss how the narrative constructed in Georgina's painting relates to one of these three works in particular. It seeks a comparative analysis between the works Sessão do Conselho de Estado (1922) and Primeiros Sons do Hino da Independência (1922), by Augusto Bracet, which are somewhat distant from each other and, at the same time, complement each other. There is an invitation here to also think about the extra-artistic dimensions that permeate art history, especially considering gender relations.