DECOLONIZATION AND ART EDUCATION IN BRAZIL: RUPTURES, CONTINUITIES, AND RECONFIGURATIONS BETWEEN JESUITS AND POMBALINES

Abstract

This study analyzes the role and relevance of art education in Colonial Brazil, considering the period ranging from Jesuit pedagogy to the Pombaline reforms. The investigation discusses the historical development of Indigenous art and musicality, highlighting the impacts of the colonization process on the cultural expressions of native peoples. It also addresses the ideological role of the Society of Jesus in using art—especially music and theater—as instruments of catechesis and cultural domination. Furthermore, the research examines the transformations that occurred with the expulsion of the Jesuits and the secularization of education promoted by the Pombaline reforms, which diminished the presence of the arts in the school curriculum. Finally, it analyzes the development of Brazilian Baroque and the contribution of Afro-descendant artists such as Aleijadinho and José Teófilo de Jesus to the formation of a national artistic identity. The study reinforces the importance of understanding the colonial roots of racism and the need to value cultural productions of Indigenous and African origin as foundations of Brazilian diversity.