Tarsila do Amaral

Hello! My name is Tarsila do Amaral, and I was a painter from the wonderful country of Brazil. My story begins on September 1st, 1886, when I was born on a big, beautiful farm. Life on the farm was full of amazing sights. I was surrounded by bright colors everywhere I looked. I saw pink earth under my feet, tall green banana trees reaching for the sky, and sunny yellow flowers that dotted the fields. At night, I loved listening to the stories the farm workers told under the twinkling stars. These special stories and all the bright colors I saw as a little girl stayed inside my heart. I knew that one day, they would become an important part of my paintings.

When I was a young woman, my dream was to learn everything I could about art. To make my dream come true, in 1920, I traveled all the way across the big blue ocean to a famous city called Paris in France. It was so exciting! I went to a special art school there, where I learned all sorts of new ways to paint and draw from great teachers. Paris was a wonderful city full of art and new ideas, but deep down, I missed my home in Brazil. I missed its colors and its people. That’s when I made a big decision. I decided I wanted to be the painter of my country!

Coming back home to Brazil was like seeing it for the very first time. Everything looked so fresh and beautiful! I traveled all around with my friends, visiting small towns and watching happy festivals full of music and dancing. I met so many amazing people along the way. I knew I had to paint all of it. I began to paint everything I saw, but I did it in my own special way. I used the brightest colors I could find—just like the ones from my childhood farm—and I painted people and animals with big, friendly, round shapes. In 1928, I created my most famous painting. Its name is 'Abaporu'. It's a very unusual picture of a person with a tiny little head and giant feet, sitting next to a tall cactus under a bright sun. People had never seen art like this before; it was new and exciting!

Through my art, I was able to share the unique spirit and amazing beauty of Brazil with the whole world. I lived to be 86 years old, and I was lucky enough to paint for my entire life. Today, my colorful paintings hang in museums where people from all over can come and see them. I hope that when you see my art, it makes you smile and reminds you to look for all the wonderful, bright colors that are all around you every day.