Calixto and the construction of panoramas: Santos 1822 Ana Kalassa el Banat

Abstract

Benedito Calixto de Jesus, a Brazilian painter born in 1853 in Itanhaém, São Paulo, is renowned for his landscapes and urban scenes from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Self-taught, Calixto developed his talent from childhood, standing out mainly in Santos and Brotas. In 1882, he worked at the Guarany Theater, won a scholarship to study in Paris, returned and became a pioneer in the use of photography. With around 700 works, including portraits, landscapes and religious works, Calixto also stood out as a researcher of regional history and painter of historical scenes. His artistic and historical contribution is recognized to this day. This descriptive article analyzes part of his panoramic paintings, focusing on the use of photography and perspective to organize the spatiality of the landscape, reflecting on their importance in the constitution of the image of the city of the past and its current relevance.