João Das Alagoas

João Carlos da Silva, known as João das Alagoas, was born in 1958 in Capela, a town in the forest zone of Alagoas, Brazil. He is a master ceramicist renowned for recreating the "ox" from the popular folk play bumba-meu-boi, a common figure in Brazilian popular figurative art. João crafts large clay oxen with detailed bas-relief and high-relief mantles that depict stories from Northeastern folklore, including street games, weddings, and baptisms, reflecting the people's traditions and stories.

João is self-taught and has always worked independently. From a young age, he excelled in school through his drawings and used clay as a medium to make small oxen. He shares that he learned his craft through experience and observation, and he draws significant inspiration from other renowned Brazilian artists, particularly master Vitalino, who is his main reference.

Sources:
Photo: https://turismoalagoas.com/artesao-individual/joao-das-alagoas/
Text: Blombô research and curation, with the support of artificial intelligence for content writing and structuring.