Portrait of Olga Benário Prestes
Candido Portinari1945
Projeto Portinari
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Composition in green tones, rose, earthy, black, red, blue and white. Smooth texture. Portrait of middle-body Olga Prestes Benario pregnant, reclining on the couch, against dark background. The portrayed is turned slightly to the right, looking forward. It has long, thin face, brown hair combed back and fallen back slightly wavy. High and broad forehead, straight eyebrows, almond-shaped blue eyes, straight nose, thin lips closed and chin. Fair complexion and rosy cheeks. wear knock clear color rose with rounded collar buttoned close to the neck and chest by two buttons. Inns hands on the massive belly. It is seen part of sofa backrest with green vertical stripes and black. Plain background seeing behind the head portrayed the inscription: "OLGA" on the left and "Benario ABOUT.." on the right. Might falling from the right.
- Title: Portrait of Olga Benário Prestes
- Creator Lifespan: 1903-12-29 - 1962-12-06
- Creator Nationality: Brazilian
- Creator Gender: Male
- Creator Death Place: Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Creator Birth Place: Brodowski, São Paulo, Brazil
- Date: 1945
- Location Created: Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
- Physical Dimensions: w60 x h73cm without frame
- Provenance: João Candido Portinari
- Rights: João Candido Portinari
- External Link: Projeto Portinari
- Theme: portrait:woman
- Technique: oil
- Signature: Signed at bottom left "PORTINARI". Undated
- Painter: Candido Portinari
- Number: FCO 2639
- Notes: Olga Benário and Luiz Carlos Prestes were arrested in Méier on March 5, 1936 and taken to separate prisons. In September 1936, Olga was deported to Germany, where her daughter Anita Leocádia was born two months later. In 1938, the Gestapo delivered Anita Leocádia to her grandmother, Dona Leocádia, and Olga was sent to a concentration camp, where she was killed in April of 1942. On April 18, 1945, Prestes was granted amnesty and released. He was informed that Portinari was painting a portrait of Olga based on a photograph that had been published in the newspapers. He went to see the artist, who questioned him extensively about his wife's physical and psychological features so that he might finalize the portrait. Upon completion, the work was placed in Prestes’ office in the Communist Party of Brazil headquarters at Rua da Glória, no. 52. There it remained until 1947, when the Party was abrogated and Prestes was removed from office and forced into hiding for another nine years. At his request, Portinari kept the painting until March 1958, when Prestes was released from preventive detention.
- Inscription: Inscriptions, at top left, "OLGA” and, at top right, "BENARIO PRESTES”. On back of frame, inscription "Portinary uma mold. nº 8 B”.
- Catalogue Raisonné: CR-2340
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