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The centenary of the Modern Art Week and research universities are addressed in "Estudos Avançados" #104

by Richard Meckien - published Mar 08, 2022 02:40 PM - - last modified Aug 03, 2023 12:42 PM
Rights: Original version in Portuguese by Mauro Bellesa.

Capa Revista Estudos Avançados - 104

The 104th issue of the journal Estudos Avançados brings the centenary of the 1922 Modern Art Week, the role of research at universities, and the 60 years of the creation of the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) as its central themes. The digital version is available on the SciELO platform (Portuguese only).

The opening dossier, dedicated to the Modern Art Week, features articles that evaluate how timely this "complex and plural" movement still is, being "one of the most important movements in Brazilian culture," according to the publication's editor, Sérgio Adorno.

Regarding the landmark of the last century, "a lot has been written about the main events, the participants, the motivations, the reference works, the polemics that surrounded it, the noisy reception, and the nonconformity with the dominant traditionalism in the arts." Estudos Avançados, however, "did not intend to repeat what is already known, but to add new contributions," says Adorno.

In the article "Notes on Modernism," Eduardo Jardim exposes two different times in the 1920s as two ways of conceiving modernism between the incorporation of modern languages of European influence and the adoption of national traits in the art produced in the country.

The original myths about the rediscovery of Brazil and the resumption of colonial roots as achievements of modernism are themes present in the article "The Reinvention of the Week and the Myth of the Discovery of Brazil," by Rafael Cardoso. The author also brings up critical disputes around the Modern Art Week.

Further contributions explore Mário de Andrade's achievements in the movement, such as his way of thinking about Brazilian unity and the diversity of "Brazils." In this sense, the project of a country that invested in the ethnic and cultural mixture through art is analyzed. The article "Brazil and Mário de Andrade's Brazils: the End of the Apprentice Tourist?" points out how the country was questioned due to the need to determine cultural differences to face internal inequalities.

The dossier also has articles addressing similarities and differences between Argentine and Brazilian avant-gardes in the 1920s, and the importance of clothing for Brazilian modernism.

Research Universities

The articles in the second dossier address the contribution of universities and research to the country's development in several areas, a "current and inexhaustible" issue that "raises polemics and divergent positions," as Adorno states.

According to the article that opens the dossier, "Research and Graduate Studies in Brazil: Two Sides of the Same Coin?," written by Simon Schwartzman, the distribution profile of researchers and graduate courses in Brazil started to follow the profile of enrollment in undergraduate courses from the 2000s onwards. With an analysis of the characteristics of the system and the occupation of graduate students, the author concludes that the expansion of the research system responded to the demands for titling of higher education professors in detriment of the country's research priorities.

The second article ("The Abandonment of the 'University Spirit' in the Construction of the Armando de Sales Oliveira Campus") brings the history of the foundation and the fundamentals of USP, and considers the absence of a university spirit. It highlights the lack of an integrating environment in the project by not taking the academic aspect into account.

Closing the dossier, the article "The University as a Reliable Source for the Formulation and Improvement of Public Policies" evaluates the influence of USP on public policies. The analysis is based on the University's performance during the COVID-19 pandemic and its scientific production in various areas of knowledge during this period, which served as a source for the implementation and evaluation of public policies.

60 Years of FAPESP

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the creation of the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP,) the journal features articles that address the solid role of the institution in proposing decisive strategies for the development of the country based on knowledge. Despite facing repeated threats to its assets and budget, the Foundation stands out in the articles for its budgetary and administrative management, and for the execution of its activities.

The list below contains the names of the authors who have contributed with each one of the addressed themes:

100 Years of the Modern Art Week

Eduardo Jardim
Rafael Cardoso
Pedro Duarte
Eduardo Coelho
Ivan Francisco Marques
Marcos Antônio de Moraes and Rodrigo de Albuquerque Marques
Gênese Andrade
Flávia Camargo Toni and Camila Fresca
Carolina Casarin
Carlos Sandroni

Research Universities

Simon Schwartzman
Caio Dantas
Vahan Agopyan and Glauco Arbix

60 Years of FAPESP

Marco A. Zago and José R. Drugowich de Felício
Jacques Marcovitch
Hernán Chaimovich