Candido Portinari, the second son of twelve siblings, was born to Italian immigrants from the Veneto region in Brodowski, a town in the São Paulo countryside. Cabeça de mulato (1934) is a significant work within the context of Portinari’s portraits, one of his great skills. It showcases his technique as an outstanding draughtsman, as can be seen in his use of chiaroscuro and especially in the delicate and precise strokes that outline the eyes, nose, mouth, and chin. Throughout his life, Portinari painted more than seven hundred portraits. He was particularly interested in depicting “popular” Brazilian types, which included Black and “mulatto” field workers and humble migrants. In Brazil at that time, “mulatto” referred to someone with multiracial heritage – born to parents of different racial backgrounds, typically of African and European descent. However, it has since acquired pejorative and discriminatory connotations in the country, and its use is now being rejected. Here, the character looks the viewer in the face, which reinforces the power, dignity, and nobility that Portinari imprints on his portraits of the “common people”.
—Fernando Olivia
