I was in Ouro Preto this past weekend, one of the more famous historic towns in Minas Gerais, in the southeast of Brazil. The town has maintained its historic look and feel with stone streets, Portuguese architecture, and gorgeous Baroque Catholic churches. A couple of the churches contain the sculpture of Antonio Francisco Lisboa, more famously and endearingly known as Aleijadinho (loosely translated as a Little Cripple), due to a series of illnesses he had throughout his life… although he kept on working!
I was blown away by some of his work!! We weren’t able to take pictures inside the churches, but here are some outside São Francisco de Assis:
And here’s a great video on a little bit about his life and work.
A few comprehension questions:
1. Why was Aleijadinho given this nickname?
2. Where are his most famous works found?
3. When and how did Aleijadinho die?
