Fantasia

Born in Niterói in 1860, Antonio Parreiras was a student at the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts (AIBA), where he had contact with several artists and painters who influenced his work, such as Georg Grimm (1846-1887) and Castagneto (1851-1900). His first solo exhibition took place in 1885 at the A Photographia store in Rio de Janeiro, soon after exhibiting the same works in his studio in Niterói. These two experiences paved the way for many solo exhibitions early in his career, not only in the state of Rio de Janeiro but also in other locations. Feeling the necessity to have access to the productions of other countries, manages to articulate the sale of his work "A tarde" to the Imperial Government. The amount, then, is used to finance his trip to Europe, more precisely to Italy, where he studies with Filippo Cárcano (1840-1914). Upon returning to his native country, he travels through the forests, depicting with intensity the local fauna and flora. He travels several times to Europe shortly thereafter, but his production of landscapes paintings start decaying after 1920s. From 1932, then, he gradually fell ill until his death in 1937. According to the artist himself in his book of memories, "History of a Painter told by himself" in his 55 years of activity, produced more than 850 paintings and 39 exhibitions in Brazil.