Abstract
Victor Brecheret conceived two projects for Monumento às Bandeiras: the first in 1920 (never realized) and the second in 1936 (completed in 1953, in S. Paulo). Distinct from one another in aesthetic and ideological terms, both versions relied upon the advice of the poet and politician Menotti Del Picchia for the historical basis on the “bandeiras paulistas” (an account of 17th Century explorers/mercenaries from São Paulo that since has been subject to revision). This essay presents an overview of Del Picchia’s interpretation of Brazil and the Brazilian people between 1920 and 1936, to shed light on the sculptor’s conceptual changes to his most well-known monument.
Keywords:
Monumento às Bandeiras; Menotti Del Picchia; Victor Brecheret