• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Street Smart Brazil

We teach smart Portuguese

  • Contact
  • My Account
  • Cart
  • Policies
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Service
    • Disclaimer
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Speak Portuguese With Ease
  • Home
  • About
  • Shop for Lessons
  • Starter Kit
  • Testimonials
  • Resources
  • Blog
Meet Mestre Vitalino

Meet Mestre Vitalino

posted on June 22, 2012

 
(Source)

Mestre Vitalino was a man who never saw himself as an artist or master yet he always was one. He spent the 50-odd years of his life making clay figurinhas, although he was also an artisan, musician, actor and writer. He was a man of many talents and both his legacy and influence remain strong throughout Brazil.

It all started in Caruaru (Pernambuco) where he grew up, within an area that is known as the agreste, or rugged countryside. When there were no toys to play with, he just created his own using both the things he saw and the things he imagined as a catalyst. The northeastern lifestyle and the traditions which bind it were the inspirations behind Vitalino’s work.

Born in 1909, he was already playing with the leftover clay from his mother’s pottery by the age of six. While he gradually became renowned locally, it was only in the late 1940’s that he began to be recognized nationally and by the mid-50’s his work was already being displayed in Europe. Mestre Vitalino may have died before his time, at age 54, but before he passed, he had created an estimated 600 pieces and freely taught many others how to imitate his style.

Reflecting his surroundings, some of his best-known pieces carry names like: retirantes, casa da farinha, terno de zabumba, batizado, casamento, vaquejada, pastoril, padre, Lampião, and Maria Bonita. Today, these pieces and more can be viewed in the house he once lived in (which is now a museum), as well as in museums in Recife, Rio de Janeiro and in Paris (yes, his work is said to be displayed in the Louvre).

You can see 14 B&W photos starting here from 1947 when a French photographer captured the Mestre’s daily life. I also recommend the excellent short documentary (in PT) below. 

[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqW2ZTuP0rk]

—————-

Schedule your Portuguese Demo Lesson.

Street Smart Brazil offers one-on-one and group classes online via webcam. We have a fantastic team of tutors, exclusive class materials, and complete programs from absolute beginner to fluent.  See what our customers are saying.

Related Posts:

  • Portuguese Conversation Group Class open now
  • Use the Infinitive in Portuguese instead of -ING in English
  • 4 Brazilian Portuguese Expressions with the Verb Levar –…
Share ... Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin
Pin on Pinterest
Pinterest
Email this to someone
email

About Adam Lee

Adam is a writer and a researcher who has studied Brazilian culture for over a decade and created several Brazil-themed blogs going back to 2008. Having taught himself Portuguese, he put it to practical use by spending three years doing Brazil on a budget (and living in favelas), from Rio de Janeiro to the Amazon.

He now resides in Lisbon, Portugal, developing a startup and dreaming about having a beachside B&B in the Northeast of Brazil.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. honeyfree

    December 27, 2012 at 12:52 am

    Mestre Vitalino may have died before his time, at age 54, but before he passed, he had created an estimated 600 pieces and freely taught many others how to imitate his style. http://www.test-king.com/ test-king http://www.test-king.com/cert-CCNA.htm cert-CCNA http://www.test-king.com/cert-CCNA-Security.htm cert-CCNA-Security http://www.test-king.com/cert-CCNA-Voice.htm cert-CCNA-Voice

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Want to see your pic by your comment? Get a free custom avatar at Gravatar.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Categories

  • Brazil
  • Brazilian music
  • Brazilian Portuguese
  • Business Culture
  • Culture and History
  • Flashcards
  • Food
  • Grammar
  • Idiomatic Expressions
  • Learning Languages
  • Pronunciation
  • Resources
  • Video lessons
  • Visiting Brazil
  • Vocabulary

Schedule a Trial Session

Testimonials

I have been using Street Smart Brazil for over two years now. I am pleased with my development in Brazilian Portuguese. I have had opportunities to use Portuguese on my job and intend to create more … Read more
Davidson
When I started this journey of learning Brasilian Portuguese, I couldn’t even say “Obrigado” or “Como é seu nome?”. But now my communication skills have improved tremendously. Street Smart Brazil make… Read more
Blake
Street Smart Brazil is the best lessons you can get for such an affordable price. I was initially skeptical about doing virtual Portuguese classes, but after doing the trial class, I learned that Stre… Read more
Alexis
Learning a new language can be one of the most challenging things you can do. The individualized and wholly personal tact of teaching at Street Smart Brazil makes it a challenge that you will want to … Read more
Gary

Find Resources

Make your learning fun and easy with good resources.
Learn More

51 Portuguese Idioms – Speak Like a Brazilian

You will learn each expression inside a real-life context: everyday situations that could happen to any of us.
Purchase Now >

Recent Posts

  • The Difference Between ESTE, ESSE, ISSO in Portuguese
  • 4 language learning hacks for your Portuguese
  • War Vocabulary in Portuguese
  • Valentine’s Day in Brazil – Dia dos Namorados
  • Articles in Portuguese – Portuguese lesson

Search

Cart

Classes

  • Trial Lesson
  • One-on-One Portuguese Lessons via Video Meetings – Subscription
  • One-on-One Portuguese Lessons via Video Meetings – Packages
  • Celpe-Bras Preparation Course

Footer Subscribe

Books

  • 51 Portuguese Idioms
  • Master the Word MESMO in Portuguese

Footer Video CTA

Subscribe to my YouTube channel to get all the new video lessons

Subscribe

https://youtu.be/Q8ONwVoTG9M

Footer Full CTA

Book a Trial Lesson today to get started.

Get Started Now

Footer CTA

Street Smart Brazil

  • About
  • Shop For a Portuguese Class
  • Testimonials
  • Blog

Portuguese Classes

  • Trial Lesson
  • One-on-One Portuguese Lessons via Video Meetings – Subscription
  • One-on-One Portuguese Lessons via Video Meetings – Packages
  • Celpe-Bras Preparation Course

Books

  • 51 Portuguese Idioms
  • Master the Word MESMO in Portuguese


Street Smart Brazil, LLC

phone 415.573.8180
email info@streetsmartbrazil.com
Oakland, California

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Disclaimer
  • Sitemap

© 2014–2022 Street Smart Brazil, All Rights Reserved | Website by Web Savvy Marketing