Ranchinho [Sebastião Theodoro Paulino da Silva]

1923, Oscar Bressane | SP - Brasil

2003, Assis | SP - Brasil

He moved with his family to Assis, interior of São Paulo, when he was 2 years old. As his father had died, and as he suffered of mental disability, he was not able to have a formal education. He was maltreated by people, and as a protection, he would hide himself in abandoned ranches along the roads. That is why his nickname was Ranchinho (little ranch), as people would know him by. During the 70s, the researcher José Nazareno Mimessi noticing his talent for drawing, encouraged him to paint with gouache, and later, with acrylic paint over a hard surface. In the following years, he started producing with clear progress, participating of exhibitions and winning awards. Around 1971 he received and honoured mention in the “I Exposição de Artes Plásticas de Assis”. He was spotted and congratulated by Nise da Silveira, the creator of the Museu do Inconsciente. He was works in the Museu de Arte Moderna and Pinacoteca do Estado collections, besides he has his name in one of the rooms at the Museu de Arte Primitiva de Assis, also in the State of São Paulo. He lives and works in Assis.

Source: Catalog - POP BRASIL: popular Art and the popular in Art | CCBB – Gama, 2002