The formation of the sculptor Rodolfo Bernardelli in Italy (1877-1885):: an analysis of his trajectory from primary sources

Abstract

This article focuses on sculptor Rodolfo Bernardelli’s Italian apprenticeship (Bernardelli: Guadalajara, Mexico, 1852 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1931), when he was pensioner of the Academia Imperial de Belas Artes (Imperial Academy of Arts), Rio de Janeiro, in Rome, between 1877 and 1885. This period of his story was analyzed through the use of primary sources, for instance, art essays published in newspapers or the artist’s own letters. We try to understand the Realist School, which was adopted by the artist then, and the reception his works had, keeping in mind the historical and artistic context of the last years of Brazil’s Second Reign.