Between opsis and akôe: the enunciation marks in the historical painting and in the art criticism of the 19th century

Abstract

This article analyzes the relation between historical painting and the history disciplineduring the 19th century and draws a parellel between the artist’s work and thehistorian. These professionals were engaged in the formation of the national memoryand establishment of an identity. The Imperial Academy of Fine Arts (AIBA) andthe Historical and Geographical Brazilian Institute (IHGB) were the institutionsresponsible for the nation’s symbolic construction, by the narrative about thepast, through the historical painting and of the IHGB’s articles. This text intends tounderstand the esthetic choices of Vitor Meireles and Pedro Américo from themechanisms used for the artists to legitimize their paintings.