Oswaldo Goeldi
Brazil - 1895 - 1961
Oswaldo Goeldi (Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 1895 - idem 1961) was a Brazilian engraver, draftsman, illustrator, and professor. Son of the renowned Swiss scientist Emílio Augusto Goeldi, he moved with his family to Belém, Pará, at the age of 1, and then, in 1905, to Bern, Switzerland.
Education and Early Career
At the age of 20, Goeldi enrolled in the engineering course at the Polytechnic School of Zurich but did not complete it. In 1917, he enrolled at the Ecole des Arts et Métiers in Geneva, but finding the course too academic, he left and began taking classes at the studio of artists Serge Pahnke and Henri van Muyden. In the same year, he held his first solo exhibition at the Wyss Gallery in Bern, where he was influenced by the work of Alfred Kubin.
Return to Brazil and Artistic Development
In 1919, Goeldi returned to Rio de Janeiro and started working as an illustrator for the magazines Para Todos, Leitura Para Todos, and Ilustração Brasileira. His first solo exhibition in Brazil took place in 1921 at the Liceu de Artes e Ofícios. In 1923, he was introduced to woodcut techniques by Ricardo Bampi. In the 1930s, he released the album "10 Woodcuts by Oswaldo Goeldi," with an introduction by Manuel Bandeira, and created drawings and prints for periodicals and books, including Raul Bopp's "Cobra Norato," marking his first color woodcuts.
Contributions and Recognition
In 1941, Goeldi illustrated the "Complete Works of Dostoevsky" for José Olympio Publishing. In 1952, he began his teaching career at the Escolinha de Arte do Brasil, and in 1955, became a professor at the National School of Fine Arts (Enba) in Rio de Janeiro, where he founded a woodcut workshop.
Legacy
In 1995, the Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil held a commemorative exhibition for Goeldi's centenary in Rio de Janeiro, celebrating his significant contribution to Brazilian art. His work continues to be studied and appreciated, standing out for its technical quality and the emotional depth he imprinted in his woodcuts and illustrations.
