João Zaco Paraná Portrait

Eliseu Visconti, Italian living in Brazil, stood out a portraitist and painter of thematic pictures. After spending some years studying in Paris, Visconti returned to Brazil bringing still fresh concepts of Impressionism, a movement that is reflected in his work. He also acted as a designer with influences from Art Nouveau. João Zaco Paraná (1884-1961), born Jan Zak, was of Polish family and adopted Paraná in his name as a form of gratitude to the state that received his family and helped him finish his studies through scholarships both in Curitiba and in Belgium. He was a professor at the National School of Fine Arts. In Curitiba, there are two sculptures of his : "Motherly Love", in the Botanical Garden, and "The Sower", in Praça Eufrásio Correia. In Rio de Janeiro, he made the pair of sculptures that stand at entrance of the Tiradentes Palace.