MASP

In 1893, after the success of Antônio Parreira’s first solo show in São Paulo, Veridiana Prado (1825-1910), the matriarch of a wealthy family of coffee growers from the state, commissioned several paintings of her properties, including the Consolação estate where her son Eduardo lived. In Chácara da Consolação (residência do Dr. Eduardo Prado, atual Praça Roosevelt) [Consolação Country House (residence of Dr. Eduardo Prado, current-day Roosevelt Square)] (1893), Parreiras highlighted the front and side portions of the property, and two streets that delineated its borders. There is a fenced garden, the mansion’s profile, and the tracks of streetcars. At the end of the street, to the left of the composition, we see the traces of a few human figures, such as children and couples taking a stroll, painted as if they were moving figures. The city’s public landscape seems devoid of trees; they only appear within the Prado family’s gardens. A pine tree stands out at the center of the composition, suggesting European influence over the local landscaping. Additionally, the painting portrays the region of present-day Roosevelt Square — the main street in the foreground is the Consolação Street, while the small one to the left is the square, where today several theaters are located.

— Guilherme Giufrida, assistant curator, MASP, 2018

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