Robert C. Smith e o estudo da pintura votiva luso-brasileira

Abstract

Between 1964 and 1972, Robert Chester Smith published five studies on painted Portuguese woodcarvings, including an attentive look at this art form in Brazil, particularly in the 18th and 19th centuries. Further references confirm the interest and decisive contribution of the North American historian on this matter, which has not been properly recognized yet. The overriding aim is to highlight how his approach went beyond the use of certain irreplaceable “visual documents”, by selecting examples and arguments towards a significant critical appreciation. And to that end, he counted on the enthusiasm and collaboration with which the scholars and the interested public received his work.