Abaporu

Hello there. I am a world of bright, happy colors. Can you see my big, yellow sun? It shines and shines in a soft, blue sky. I have a tall, green cactus standing right beside me. Look at me. I am a person sitting on the ground, but I look a little bit silly. I have one very, very big foot. I have one very, very big hand. And I have a very, very tiny head. It’s fun to be different. I am a painting full of sunshine and wonder. My special name is Abaporu.

My wonderful maker was an artist who painted me in a warm, sunny place called Brazil. Her name was Tarsila do Amaral. She was so creative. Tarsila made me on a special day, January 11th, 1928. It was a happy day because she gave me as a birthday present to someone she loved, her husband Oswald de Andrade. When Oswald saw me, his eyes opened wide. Wow. He loved my funny shapes and bright colors. Tarsila wanted to paint something that felt just like her home. My name, Abaporu, comes from a very old language and means 'the man who eats'. It sounds silly, but it was the start of a very big, new idea.

A big idea and a bright future came from my strange body. My big foot and tiny head gave Oswald a super fun idea. He thought that artists in Brazil could look at art from all over the world, 'eat' up the ideas like yummy food, and then create something new and special that was all their own. Because of me, a whole new way of making art started. Today, I live in a special house called a museum. Lots of children and grown-ups come to see my bright sun and my funny body. I help everyone remember that it's wonderful to be different, and the best ideas come from your own amazing imagination.