In 1939, Cândido Portinari Illustrates a Letter to Enrico Bianco with a Rare Drawing

• Handwritten letter from Cândido Portinari to Enrico Bianco.
• One sheet, one page, with its envelope and a drawing of a chair.
• +/- 21 cm x 28 cm.
• In Portuguese.
• São Paulo, March 16, 1939
• Excellent condition.
• Unique set.

Letter Transcription

Prof. Candido Portinari
Head of the 16th Didactic Section
of the University of the Federal District

Dear Enrico,

I would like you to do me the favor of going to “Expresso Paulista” on [Evaristo da Veiga] street, to find out if they sent the car and the box to Brodowski.

If it's necessary to pay there, pay it and let me know how much it was.

On the day we shipped, they were supposed to send someone to pick it up, but they didn't.

We are all doing well here.

We leave for Brodowski on Saturday night. Regards to yours.

Receive a hug from
Portinari

São Paulo, March 16 – 1939.

In 1939, Candido Portinari was already one of Brazil's most important artists, established on the national scene and with significant international projection, participating in major exhibitions and involved in public commissions during the Getúlio Vargas period. This letter reveals a concrete aspect of his activity: the practical management of his work, mentioning the sending of objects — possibly related to artworks or materials — to Brodowski, his hometown, which holds a central place in his trajectory and his work.

The recipient, Enrico Bianco, was a painter and a direct collaborator of Portinari, part of his inner circle. Bianco worked alongside him on various projects and was part of the studio environment, playing a relevant role in the execution and dissemination of his works.

The drawing on the back can be attributed to Portinari himself. It is directly integrated into the document, with no signs of later addition, and presents material characteristics consistent with the rest of the letter: visual analysis indicates that the ink and writing instrument are the same as those used for the text and envelope. The drawing of the chair is perhaps a personal reference or an 'inside joke' between the two artists (we are researching).

This collection features a beautiful signature, an identified and relevant recipient in the artist's history, a strong biographical dimension with the mention of Brodowski, and, above all, the presence of a drawing on the envelope. Portinari is considered by many to be the greatest Brazilian painter of the first half of the 20th century, alongside Tarsila do Amaral, and entirely handwritten and signed letters by him are very rarely offered to the public, appearing only a few times per decade.