Jose Ferraz de Almeida Junior

José Ferraz de Almeida Júnior, also known as Almeida Junior, was a Brazilian painter who was one of the first to paint in the realistic tradition of Gustave Courbet and Jean-François Millet. He was born in Itu, a small town in São Paulo, where he worked as a bell-ringer at the local church. His father, a priest, supported his artistic talent and raised funds for him to study at the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts in Rio de Janeiro. There, he learned from Victor Meirelles and Pedro Américo, two prominent Brazilian painters. He graduated in 1874 and returned to Itu, where he set up his studio and painted scenes of rural life and Brazilian culture. He also received commissions for portraits of influential people, such as coffee barons and politicians. In 1876, he was noticed by Emperor Pedro II, who personally offered him financial support to study in Paris. He accepted the offer and enrolled at the École des Beaux-Arts, where he studied under Alexandre Cabanel. He participated in four of the Salons and exhibited his works in Brazil and Europe. He made several trips between Brazil and France, and gradually shifted from academic style to naturalism. He rejected biblical and historical subjects and focused on regionalist themes, depicting the everyday life of the caipiras, the rural people of São Paulo. He also painted some controversial works, such as The Inopportune, which showed a naked woman surprised by a man in her bedroom. He was considered the founder of modern art in Brazil and influenced many painters who followed him. He was honored with the Order of the Rose and the title of Knight of the Order of Christ. He died in 1899, at the age of 49, after being stabbed by his cousin, who discovered his affair with his wife. His works are displayed in several museums and galleries in Brazil and abroad. He is commemorated on his birthday, May 8, with the celebration of Fine Arts Day in Brazil.