A chest is always a place for memories, inspiring students to look, explore, touch and discover. In fact, chests are a recurring theme in Candido Portinari’s work, and they were also an integral part of the artist’s life. Portinari’s childhood memories included his grandparents – Italian nonnis – who came to Brazil at the end of the 19th century with a tin trunk containing all their belongings. This trunk became part of the furnishings in the settlers’ simple homes, and it was also used to store letters, photos and other remembrances from the family and friends back in Italy.
Our little chest brings you a wealth of material to enrich further the work you already do with your students in the classroom.
This material includes:
- 22 plates with reproductions of Candido Portinari’s paintings, studied while the big “Portinari for All” truck is in your town with the exhibition “Portinari, Art and the Environment.”
– A Teachers Guidebook with proposed activities designed to develop what was experienced personally during the truck’s visit.
– A pamphlet by João Batista Melo that addresses an urgent matter: the need to take care of our water as a precious asset.
– The book Plantando uma amizade [Planting a Friendship], by Rubens Matuck, which talks about planting trees as well as affection.
– A handful of ipe tree seeds, so common in Brazil, so that you and your students can plant the trees, but also ideals regarding preserving nature as well as life.
