Jean-Baptiste Debret (1768-1848) was a French painter who left a very important collection for the study of Brazilian history.
He was Napoleon's court painter, as well as being official painter of the Portuguese Crown in Brazil. It is for this reason that his works depict official events and that he is considered a painter of history.
Debret was responsible for organizing the first public art show in our country, and it was he who designed the Brazilian flag .
He was one of the founders of the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts (AIBA) in Rio de Janeiro.
Works
In Brazil, his best-known work is A Picturesque and Historical Journey to Brazil.
Before the illustrations that are part of this book are presented, check out some works that describe situations experienced by Napoleon Bonaparte.
Napoleon and the Bavarian and Wurttemberg Troops
Napoleon Bonaparte Decoration the Grenadier
Picturesque and Historic Trip to Brazil
In three volumes and 26 issues, published in 1834, 1835 and 1839, the illustrated book portrays with special care the daily life of Brazil in the 19th century.
In addition to the social concern, showing slaves and their activities, the work brings political events and presents the Brazilian fauna and flora.
The book's illustrations are followed by texts that explain each of them.
In the first volume, it portrays the indigenous culture, in the second, the relationship between whites and slaves. In the third and final volume, Debret is dedicated to the court and popular traditions.
Dona Leopoldina's Landing in Brazil, 1817
Dinner, 1820
Coronation of D. Pedro I, 1828
Slave Hunter, 1830
Acclamation of D. Pedro II, 1831
An Employee Walking With His Family, 183
Biography
Jean-Baptiste Debret was born in Paris on April 18, 1768. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts, having been a student of Jacques-Luis David, leader of neoclassicism and cousin of Debret.
He was a draftsman, painter, set designer, decorator and teacher. He was a painter at the court of Napoleon Bonaparte when he went to Brazil in 1816, forming part of the so-called French Artistic Mission.
The mission, commissioned by the Portuguese Crown, aimed to teach the arts in the country.
He remained in Brazilian lands for 15 years.
In Brazil, he taught painting classes at his studio in Rio de Janeiro and later at the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts, which he helped found.
He traveled across the country depicting local landscapes and customs in his watercolors. he organized the first public art show in our country, the Exhibition of the Academy's History Painting Class, which took place in 1829.
After returning to Paris, he published the book Viagem Pitoresca e Histórica ao Brasil.
He died in Paris on June 28, 1848.
Read more:
Flag of Brazil
Neoclassicism
The Coming of the Royal Family to Brazil