MODESTO BROCOS Y GÓMEZ (1852-1936):

What do We do With Biographies That Touch on Sensitive Topics?

Abstract

Based on the figure of the artist Modesto Brocos, this article aims to reflect on some issues that revolve around the trajectories of historical figures who touched on sensitive issues, such as debates about race. Naturalized Brazilian, Brocos was a painter at the turn of the 20th century and gained prominence for his painting A Redenção de Cam, a canvas presented to the public in 1895. The text initially goes back to the artist's life story, a biography that has been little studied compared to his contemporaries. It then addresses how the racial issue was mixed with the artist's trajectory, erasing part of his history and idiosyncrasies. Finally, with the aim of contributing to the historiographical debate on biographies, it reflects on scientific production in light of the questions of the present time in the presence of the past, a theme that historians have frequently addressed.