A recepção do pensamento positivista em A arte brasileira, de Gonzaga Duque

Abstract

This work aims to study the influence and reception of positivist philosophy in one of the seminal works of Brazilian art criticism: A arte brasileira, by Gonzaga Duque. Published in 1888, the book presents a chronological review of Brazilian artistic production, from colonial times to the date of its completion. Gonzaga Duque attempts a historical and aesthetic analysis of Brazilian painters and sculptors, as well as foreigners who had careers based in the country. However, even though he is not an active follower of the positivist doctrine, the Brazilian critic seems very influenced by many epigones of the positivist thought after Auguste Comte, such as Hippolyte Taine. Armed with these hypotheses, we will seek to demonstrate how positivist ideas shaped Gonzaga Duque's vision of Brazilian art and history. We also intend to demonstrate how positivism became the dominant ideology of the then-nascent Brazilian bourgeoisie, and how this was decisive for Gonzaga Duque's theoretical approach