Belmonte
Explore the exhibition about Belmonte, one of Brazil's greatest cartoonists, and the first major illustrator to depict the evils committed by Brazilian politicians and key figures in World War II
Cartunista Belmonte (1940-01)Folha de S.Paulo
A cartoonist, caricaturist, writer, and columnist, Belmonte was born Benedito Bastos Barreto on May 15, 1896, in the São Paulo neighborhood of Brás. He died of tuberculosis on April 19, 1947, at the age of 51.
Belmonte first appeared in the Folha da Noite evening newspaper in 1921, the year it was founded. In 1925, the owners would launch a morning edition of the newspaper, the Folha da Manhã. That same year, the cartoonist created Juca Pato, the character who would make him famous.
In 1960, the Folha da Noite and the Folha da Manhã merged to create what is now the Folha de São Paulo newspaper, which celebrated its centenary on February 19, 2021.
Quadrinhos de Belmonte (1925-04-30) by BelmonteFolha de S.Paulo
Folha da Noite, April 30, 1925
The comic strip character Juca Pato first appeared in the newspaper's evening edition. Belmonte's choice of the surname Pato was ironic, as a slang name for someone stupid or dumb, and Juca Pato came to represent everyday people—subjected to all the government's bureaucracy and failings.
Translation
1. "Juca Pato went to a government department to sort out some papers."
2. -"I want to …"
-"That's in Department 4."
3. -"Sir, I've come to see if …"
-"You need a different office!"
4. -"I need to know if …"
-"That's in Department 2!"
5. -"I've got some papers that …"
-"That's on a different floor!"
6. -"!!!!???"
7. -"It wasn't on the 5th floor! It was on the 1st …"
8. -"It wasn't on the 1st either!!"
9. -"Sir! I …"
-"That's just not possible! You'll have to come back tomorrow!"
10. -"Poor Juca Pato!"
As Belmonte's alter ego, voicing his vehement criticism of social evils, Juca Pato became a mouthpiece for people in the street, winning popular approval and becoming the face of brands advertising candy, cookies, cigars, and mineral water.
Belmonte's most famous creation would also go on to star in radio soaps and have carnival songs written about him. In 1962, the Brazilian Writers' Union (União Brasileira de Escritores)—an organization founded in 1958—created the Juca Pato Intellectual of the Year Award in honor of Belmonte's character.
Belmonte, cartunista, pintor, ilustrador, cronista e escritor - autorretrato (1923-05-14) by BelmonteFolha de S.Paulo
May 14, 1923
A self-portrait of Belmonte, which appeared in the Folha da Noite newspaper on the eve of his 27th birthday.
Translation: "Our very own Belmonte, who celebrates his birthday is tomorrow"
Charge do cartunista Belmonte (1921-10-01) by BelmonteFolha de S.Paulo
October 1, 1921
Belmonte's first cartoon for the Folha da Noite newspaper, directing criticism at Light, a streetcar and electricity company.
Translation:
-"Now, gentlemen … These streetcars of yours are not first class."
-"They're better than first class, Geca … They earn twice as much as other streetcars and they put up with all the complaints …"
Before taking up his post at Folha da Noite, Belmonte had worked for several other leading magazines, such as A Cigarra and Don Quixote, as well as O Pirralho, which was set up by the writer Oswald de Andrade in 1911.
Charge do cartunista Belmonte (1922-02-20) by BelmonteFolha de S.Paulo
February 20, 1922
Belmonte's illustration about Modern Art Week, which was held at São Paulo's Municipal Theater (Theatro Municipal) from February 13 to 17, 1922. The sketch appeared in the Folha da Noite newspaper a few days later.
Translation:
-"Look over there, my girl. Those people are artists!"
-"Poor things! They're so young …!"
Charge de Belmonte (1925-07-01) by BelmonteFolha de S.Paulo
July 1, 1925
The front page of the first ever edition of the Folha da Manhã featured this Belmonte cartoon about the new newspaper's launch.
Translation:
Sleepyhead chorus
-"Hey there! Now the mornings are noisy too!"
Charge de Belmonte (1926-07-04) by BelmonteFolha de S.Paulo
July 4, 1926
The cartoon character Juca Pato led the criticisms against deforestation in a drawing published on the front page of the Folha da Noite.
Translation:
Picture 1. Before: Poetry and …
Picture 2. After: Prose
Sign: Plot for sale in installments
Juca Pato: "And they go around saying that this is called progress, civilization …"
Juca Pato, personagem do cartunista Belmonte (1933-12-08) by BelmonteFolha de S.Paulo
December 8, 1933
Throughout 1933, as President Getúlio Vargas exerted more and more pressure on the press in São Paulo, Belmonte began exposing the government's growing authoritarianism.
Translation:
-"Hey! A storm's coming! And here I am in this desert, with an umbrella full of holes!"
Umbrella: Popular sovereignty
Clouds: Decrees
Charge de Belmonte (1937-10-19) by BelmonteFolha de S.Paulo
October 19, 1937
When the Getúlio Vargas government declared the Estado Novo (New State or Third Brazilian Republic)—an authoritarian regime that ruled from 1937 to 1945, and authorized the persecution of opponents and censorship of the press—Belmonte began publishing trivial illustrations, including one of Juca Pato knitting.
Translation:
Juca Pato: "Now, let's do some knitting …"
Charge de Belmonte (1946-02-18) by BelmonteFolha de S.Paulo
January 18, 1946
A Belmonte illustration criticizing the cost of living in Brazil.
Translation:
-"What are you doing, Juca?!"
-"I'm looking to see if I believe whether this loaf of bread they've put on the table is real …"
Charge de Belmonte (1931-04-25) by BelmonteFolha de S.Paulo
April 25, 1931
During the second year of Vargas' first term, a Belmonte cartoon used a picture of Uncle Sam to object to Brazil's trade policy with the US.
Translation:
Brazil: Coffee
US: Coal, gas, and machinery
Charge de Belmonte (1934-01-06) by BelmonteFolha de S.Paulo
February 3, 1934
In a section entitled This Week's Movies, the cartoonist started to use box-office hits to poke fun at Brazilian politics.
Translation:
The Beautiful Savage
-"But what does that girl do in the tribe?"
-"Nothing! She spends all day playing with wild beasts …"
Charge de Belmonte (1934-03-01) by BelmonteFolha de S.Paulo
March 1, 1934
In an illustration published in the Folha da Noite, Belmonte criticizes President Getúlio Vargas' dictatorial leanings as his so-called provisional government is about to enter its fourth year.
The Reversal: End of Act 2
New Formula
-There's no problem with the formula being provisional. What matters is that I am permanent.
Charge de Belmonte (1934-05-18) by BelmonteFolha de S.Paulo
May 18, 1934
A Folha da Noite cartoon from Belmonte's series on Great Biblical Scenes (As Grandes Cenas Bíblicas) makes an analogy between Moses and the Israelites and President Getúlio Vargas and his allies, heading for the promised land of Brazilian politics.
Translation:
Crossing the Red Sea
Charge de Belmonte (1940) by BelmonteFolha de S.Paulo
January 2, 1936
In a hard-hitting cartoon, Belmonte depicts President Vargas' intimidatory methods to exert control over the country, including the death penalty, and announcing a state of war and state of emergency.
Translation:
"Upon this a question arises: WHETHER IT IS BETTER TO BE LOVED THAN FEARED OR FEARED THAN LOVED? It may be answered that one should wish to be both, but, because it is difficult to unite them in one person, it is much safer to be feared than loved, when, of the two, either must be dispensed with." (Machiavelli's The Prince, Chapter 17)
Charge de Belmonte (1945-11-29) by BelmonteFolha de S.Paulo
November 29, 1945
Despite being removed from power by a military coup in October 1945, Getúlio Vargas continued to appear in Belmonte's cartoons. In the image, the cartoonist reveals how the Vargas government had cheated Brazilian politics.
Cartoon: Brazil's Financial Situation
Charge de Belmonte (1934-01-02) by BelmonteFolha de S.Paulo
January 2, 1934
In the first of his cartoons to mention Nazism, Belmonte portrayed the swastika as one of the signs of humanity's madness.
In the illustration, a man appears at the window of the Juqueri Psychiatric Hospital (Hospital Psiquiátrico do Juqueri), one of the country's main psychiatric centers, saying: "Lord! On this Thy holy day, protect mankind from Thy judgment while we lunatics look after ourselves!"
Charge de Belmonte (1943-02-02) by BelmonteFolha de S.Paulo
February 2, 1943
As Hitler's star began to fade two years before the end of World War II, Belmonte depicted the different stages of the German dictator's time in power with the cartoon A Life in Five Phases.
1. 1932: Messiah of Munich
2. 1933: Chancellor of the Reich
3. 1939: General of the Blitzkrieg
4. 1941: Master of Victories
5. 1943: Victim of the Turn
Charge de Belmonte (1943-04-30) by BelmonteFolha de S.Paulo
April 30, 1943
In a Folha da Noite cartoon, Belmonte pokes fun at the Nazis following the then Soviet Union's victory at the Battle of Stalingrad. It depicts Josef Stalin directing a coy, Mona Lisa smile at an overjoyed Winston Churchill (UK) and Franklin Roosevelt (US).
Translation:
In the Museum: Mona Lisa's enigmatic smile
Charge de Belmonte (1946-02-26) by BelmonteFolha de S.Paulo
February 26, 1946
In another illustration published in the Folha da Noite, the cartoonist makes a scathing criticism about the cost of living in Brazil.
Translation:
-"This painting is very cheap."
-"Tell me about it!" Just think how much the painter will have spent on his models!
Charge de Belmonte (1947-04-27) by BelmonteFolha de S.Paulo
Belmonte's last drawing: April 27, 1947
The illustration published in the Folha da Manhã eight days after the cartoonist's death. Entitled Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, the previously unpublished drawing was part of a large collection that the artist was planning to publish.
Translation
Don Quixote and Sancho Panza
"And, as night fell, beneath a symbolic sky, the Great Knight set off on his great adventure."
(From a collection of drawings that our much-missed colleague was working on.)
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