THE HISTORY OF NAIF ART

According to the Itaú Cultural Encyclopedia (2020), the history of Naïve Art is linked to the paintings of Henri Rousseau, exhibited at the Salon des Indépendents (Hall of Independents), held in 1886, in Paris. The word naïve comes from the French language and means naive, being the expression used to designate the painter's art. Although Rousseau was heavily criticized at first, he ended up becoming a great influence on avant-garde painters of the time (FINKELSTEIN, 2001). Henri Rousseau was the most prominent name in naive art, but he was not the only representative. According to the Itaú Cultural Encyclopedia (2020), naive art was not something isolated and occurred only in France, on the contrary, many other artists emerged all over the world, such as Alfred Wallis (England) and Anna Mary Robertson (United States). Not having typical aesthetic characteristics, what makes an art naïve is the artist, since it is an individual art and each artist has a unique and genuine style. Many naive artists are self-taught, but there are naive artists who have artistic training (FINKELSTEIN, 2001). According to D’Ambrosio (2013), the naive artist does not follow fads, but develops a personal style and not an imitation. There are museums specializing in naive art all over the planet, such as in Germany, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, France, Portugal and Russia. In Brazil, the highlights include the Museu do Sol in Penápolis/SP, the Museum of Naive Art in Guarabira/PB and the International Museum of Naive Art in Brazil (MIAN), in Rio de Janeiro/RJ, founded by French-born Lucien Finkelstein. (1931-2008). In addition to museums, there are also specialized galleries, such as the Jacques Ardies Gallery, in São Paulo/SP. Naive art also has major events, such as the Art Naif Festiwal (Festival of Naive Art) that takes place in Poland annually, with the participation of artists from various countries.