Antônio Francisco Lisboa’s risco for the Franciscan church on Rio das
Mortes
Pietro Tripodi
Mário Henrique Simão D’Agostino
FAUUSP
pietro.tripodi@usp.br
Picture 1: Side by side comparison of the risco by
Antônio Francisco Lisboa, with the built church.
Objectives
The main objective of this research is to
analyze Antonio Francisco Lisboa’s risco (an
old Portuguese word used for architectural
drawings) for the Franciscan church at Rio das
Mortes, comparing it to the built church, and
identifying the possible discrepancies between
both of them. After that, through the precise
knowledge of what were the changes made
during the building process, we aim at develop
a case study for the broader understanding of
the architectural culture in Portuguese America.
Materials and Methods
The adopted methodological procedure was
chiefly based on the study of primary
documentation (i.e.: architectural drawings,
contemporary testimonies etc). The
bibliographical material was approached
considering its relation to those primary
sources, shedding light on their moments of
concordance and discordance. For this goal,
the student should be heedful both to technical
and iconographic problems, aiming at an
exhaustive visual analysis that will be able to
synthesize those problems and strive for new
interpretative hypothesis.
Results
Until this moment, the main result of this search
was a deeper understanding of the architectural
culture in the Portuguese America. Such
understanding allowed the recognition of some
idiosyncrasies specifics to this particular
context, as many of them are absent from
European Architectural culture.
Conclusions
Through a minute study of the risco, it was
possible to assert that both the modern sense
of project and the position of the architect as an
autonomous character within the building site
are unheard of in the architectural culture of
Portuguese America. Furthermore, the already
mentioned idiosyncrasies of this context help us
to perceive a much less defined sense of
architectural authorship.
References
BAZIN, Germain. L’Architecture Religieuse
Baroque au Brésil. São Paulo, Museu de Arte,
1956-58. 2 v.
_______________.Aleijadinho et la sculpture
baroque au Brésil. Paris, Le Temps, 1963.
OLIVEIRA, Myriam Andrade Ribeiro de. O rococó
religioso no Brasil e seus antecedentes europeus.
São Paulo, Cosac & Naify, 2003.