Book, Modernity in black and white: art and image, race and identity[LS]

Modernity in black and white offers the reader not only a new understanding of one of the country's main artistic movements, but also a window into understanding the first half of the 20th century. Generally understood as an elite movement, Brazilian modernism is usually associated with a select group from São Paulo. However, from the first favelas of the 1890s and 1900s to the reinvention of carnival in the 1930s and 1940s, and crossed by the boom in new printed media and photography, modernism permeated different social classes and geographic areas. In this book, Rafael Cardoso offers a radical reinterpretation of the movement, bringing to light elements that are absolutely central to its development — and which are not only found in São Paulo. Illustrated with a hundred images, Modernity in black and white combines extensive research with engaging prose, which guides the reader through different areas of Brazilian society between 1890 and 1945. An essential book for a broad understanding of Brazilian modernism and the historical formation of country. “An excellent book.” — Benjamin Moser “Rafael Cardoso takes readers into the fascinating world of the first decades of the 20th century, revealing the engagement of an entire diverse community of artists who move between modernism and popular culture. The result is a work that rethinks issues of race, contradicting the most current narrative about the birth of Brazilian modernism.” —Barbara Weinstein, New York University"