José Ribamar Ferreira (September 10, 1930 – December 4, 2016), known by his

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

Ferreira Gullar, was a Brazilian

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or w ...

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

essayist An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal ...

art critic An art critic is a person who is specialized in analyzing, interpreting, and evaluating art. Their written critiques or reviews contribute to art criticism and they are published in newspapers, magazines, books, exhibition brochures, and catalogu ...

, and television writer. In 1959, he was instrumental in the formation of the

Neo-Concrete Movement The Neo-Concrete Movement (1959–61) was a Brazilian art movement, a group that splintered off from the larger Concrete Art movement prevalent in Latin America and in other parts of the world. The Neo-Concretes emerged from Rio de Janeiro’s Grup ...

Influence of Neo-Concretes

The Neo-Concrete Manifesto was written in 1959 by Gullar and begins:

We use the term "neo-concrete" to differentiate ourselves from those committed to non-figurative "geometric" art ( neoplasticism, constructivism,
suprematism Suprematism (russian: Супремати́зм) is an early twentieth-century art movement focused on the fundamentals of geometry (circles, squares, rectangles), painted in a limited range of colors. The term ''suprematism'' refers to an abstra ...
, the school of
Ulm Ulm () is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Danube on the border with Bavaria. The city, which has an estimated population of more than 126,000 (2018), forms an urban district of its own (german: link=no, ...
) and particularly the kind of concrete art that is influenced by a dangerously acute
rationalism In philosophy, rationalism is the epistemological view that "regards reason as the chief source and test of knowledge" or "any view appealing to reason as a source of knowledge or justification".Lacey, A.R. (1996), ''A Dictionary of Philosophy' ...
. In the light of their artistic experience, the painters, sculptors, engravers and writers participating in this first neo-concrete exhibition came to the conclusion that it was necessary to evaluate the theoretical principles on which concrete art has been founded, none of which offers a rationale for the expressive potential they feel their art contains.

As seen in this excerpt, the

seeks to move beyond the Concrete Artist's ideal of mathematical purity in art and embrace

phenomenology Phenomenology may refer to: Art * Phenomenology (architecture), based on the experience of building materials and their sensory properties Philosophy * Phenomenology (philosophy), a branch of philosophy which studies subjective experiences and a ...

. Gullar continues on in his manifesto to call for an artwork that “amounts to more than the sum of its constituent elements; something which analysis may break down into various elements but which can only be understood phenomenologically.”Gullar, Ferreira. “Neo-Concrete Manifesto.” ''History of Modern Latin American Art Course Reader.'' Spokane: Whitworth University, 2014. The Neo-Concretists believed artworks should interact with the spectator and make the spectator more aware of his or her physical body and metaphysical existence. It is only with the participation of the spectator that the artwork becomes complete.

Early life, "Poema Sujo" and exile

Ferreira Gullar was born in

São Luís, Maranhão São Luís (, ''Saint Louis'') is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Maranhão. The city is located on Upaon-açu Island (Big Island, in Tupi Language) or Ilha de São Luís (''Saint Louis' Island''), in the Baía de São ...

Northeast Brazil The Northeast Region of Brazil ( pt, Região Nordeste do Brasil; ) is one of the five official and political regions of the country according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics. Of Brazil's twenty-six states, it comprises ni ...

. He was

exile Exile is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons and peoples suf ...

d by the Brazilian dictatorship that lasted from 1964 to 1985. In 1975, while living in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...

, Gullar wrote his best-known work, "Poema Sujo" ("Dirty Poem" in English), in which he attributes his decision to stop writing

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek '' poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meani ...

to the increasing persecution of exiles, many of whom were found dead, and to hypothetical thoughts about his own death. He spent months writing the more than 2,000 verses that constitute the poem. "Dirty Poem" draws on his memories of childhood and adolescence in São Luís, Maranhão, and his anguish at being far from his homeland. Gullar read the poem at

Augusto Boal Augusto Boal (16 March 1931 – 2 May 2009) was a Brazilian theatre practitioner, drama theorist, and political activist. He was the founder of Theatre of the Oppressed, a theatrical form originally used in radical left popular education movemen ...

's house in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

during a meeting organized by

Vinicius de Moraes Marcus Vinícius da Cruz e Mello Moraes (19 October 1913 – 9 July 1980), better known as Vinícius de Moraes () and nicknamed O Poetinha ("The little poet"), was a Brazilian poet, diplomat, lyricist, essayist, musician, singer, and playwrigh ...

. The reading, recorded on tape, became well known among Brazilian intellectuals, who tried to guarantee Gullar's return to

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

in 1977, where he continued writing for newspapers and publishing books. He also had a weekly column in Brazilian newspaper '' Folha de S.Paulo'', published on Sundays.

Notability

In 2002 Gullar was honoured with a

Prince Claus Award The Prince Claus Fund was established in 1996, named in honor of Prince Claus of the Netherlands. It receives an annual subsidy from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Fund has presented the international Prince Claus Awards annually ...

from the Dutch organisation, the

Prince Claus Fund The Prince Claus Fund was established in 1996, named in honor of Prince Claus of the Netherlands. It receives an annual subsidy from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Fund has presented the international Prince Claus Awards annually si ...

. Gullar was considered one of the most influential Brazilians of the 20th century by '' Época'' magazine, and was awarded the

Jabuti Prize The red-footed tortoise (''Chelonoidis carbonarius'') is a species of tortoise from northern South America. These medium-sized tortoises generally average as adults, but can reach over . They have dark-colored, loaf-shaped carapaces (back shel ...

for best fiction book in 2007. The magazine recalls its critical stance in opinion articles about the populism of former President Lula da Silva, posted in national newspaper ''Folha de S.Paulo''. On October 9, 2014, Gullar was elected as a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters.

Death

Gullar died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severit ...

on December 4, 2016.

Bibliography

;Poetry *''Um pouco acima do chão'', 1949 *''A luta corporal'', 1954 *''Poemas'', 1958 *''João Boa-Morte, cabra marcado para morrer'' (cordel), 1962 *''Quem matou Aparecida?'' (cordel), 1962 *''A luta corporal e novos poemas'', 1966 *''História de um valente'', (cordel, na clandestinidade, como João Salgueiro), 1966 *''Por você por mim'', 1968 *''Dentro da noite veloz'', 1975 *''Poema sujo'', 1976 *''Na vertigem do dia'', 1980 *''Crime na flora ou Ordem e progresso'', 1986 *''Barulhos'', 1987 *''O formigueiro'', 1991 *''Muitas vozes'', 1999 ;Anthologies *''Antologia poética'', 1977 *''Toda poesia'', 1980 *''Ferreira Gullar'' - seleção de Beth Brait, 1981 *''Os melhores poemas de Ferreira Gullar'' - seleção de Alfredo Bosi, 1983 *''Poemas escolhidos'', 1989 ;Short stories *''Gamação'', 1996 *''Cidades inventadas'', 1997 ;Theater *''Um rubi no umbigo'', 1979 ;Chronicles *''A estranha vida banal'', 1989 *''O menino e o arco-íris'', 2001 ;Memories *''Rabo de foguete - Os anos de exílio'', 1998 ;Biography *'' Nise da Silveira: uma psiquiatra rebelde'', 1996 ;Essays *''Teoria do não-objeto'', 1959 *''Cultura posta em questão'', 1965 *''Vanguarda e subdesenvolvimento'', 1969 *''Augusto do Anjos ou Vida e morte nordestina'', 1977 *''Tentativa de compreensão: arte concreta, arte neoconcreta - Uma contribuição brasileira'', 1977 *''Uma luz no chão'', 1978 *''Sobre arte'', 1983 *''Etapas da arte contemporânea: do cubismo à arte neoconcreta'', 1985 *''Indagações de hoje'', 1989 *''Argumentação contra a morte da arte'', 1993 *''O Grupo Frente e a reação neoconcreta'', 1998 *''Cultura posta em questão/Vanguarda e subdesenvolvimento'', 2002 *''Rembrandt'', 2002 *''Relâmpagos'', 2003 ;Television *''Araponga'' - 1990/1991 (

Rede Globo TV Globo (, "Globe TV", or simply Globo), formerly known as Rede Globo, is a Brazilian free-to-air television network, launched by media proprietor Roberto Marinho on 26 April 1965. It is owned by media conglomerate Grupo Globo. The TV stati ...

) - colaborador *''Dona Flor e Seus Dois Maridos'' - 1998 (Rede Globo) - colaborador *''

Irmãos Coragem ''Irmãos Coragem'' is a Brazilian telenovela produced and broadcast by TV Globo. It premiered on 8 June 1970 and ended on 12 July 1971, with a total of 328 episodes. It's the ninth "novela das oito" to be aired on the timeslot. It is created and ...

'' - 1995 (Rede Globo) - colaborador

References

External links

* *
Prince Claus FundPoet Nexus
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gullar, Ferreira 1930 births 2016 deaths People from São Luís, Maranhão Camões Prize winners Brazilian columnists Brazilian essayists Brazilian art critics Brazilian male poets 20th-century Brazilian poets 21st-century Brazilian poets Authors of Brazilian telenovelas Brazilian male writers Members of the Brazilian Academy of Letters Deaths from pneumonia in Rio de Janeiro (state) 20th-century Brazilian male writers 21st-century Brazilian male writers Male television writers Brazilian expatriates in the Soviet Union People granted political asylum in the Soviet Union