lange de morretes:

between landscapes

type: exhbition

local: curitiba | paraná | brazil

concept and project: museum of paraná

curatorship: marco baena

research: claudia inês parellada

director: gabriela ribeiro bettega

curatorship coordinator: richard romanini

architecture and design division: carolina bassani

photography: rodrigo bandeira da costa e carolina bassani

software used: Vectorworks, Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator

year: 2022

“the mountain: pillar of creation. cosmic axis. axis mundi. a means of connecting heaven and earth, truth and illusion: art? science? the peaks of marumbi are like fingers that hold the stars in the sky over a small town on the coast of Paraná: a piece of Brazil. Frederico Lange became Lange de Morretes when he found himself far from his homeland. “if you want be universal, start by painting your village.” here, he was a symbol, often misunderstood, and went into exile. in his romantic escape, he transited through german metropolises, where he attended important educational institutions. he took shelter in the bucolic Bavarian Alps during the First World War. there, he visualized the Serra do Mar in Paraná in the Alpine Mountains or even saw the historic Casa do Ipiranga, where he spent this childhood, on the roofs of Bavarian villages. could it be a heart defect?

back in Brazil, he became an enigmatic artist, sensitive scientist, and generous teacher. he went deep into the forest and talked to pine trees, and then he became dazzled, searching for a Locus amoenus where art, science and education would be better valued. he isolated himself to speak to the universe. often inside his own shell: a paradox? he alternated between the School and the Forest. he organized exhibitions and expeditions and taught the secrets of the arts to young people from all backgrounds and social classes.

decades later, in another of these escapes, he moved to São Paulo, where he immersed himself in scientific work after the artistic scene seemed intensitive and market-oriented to him. there, he applied his creativity in rigorous malacological research. during trips along the coast, he observed and collected valves and whelks: his amulets.”

(text taken from the exhibition newspaper).

the exhibition was produced from paintings, photos and pieces that are part of the collection of the museum of paraná.

to see more about the exhibition: instagram museu paranaense