Congonhas aleijadinho biography

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Aleijadinho is considered the greatest representative of the Baroque style in Minas Gerais and is known for his soapstone sculptures, wood carvings, altars and churches.

Biography of Antônio Francisco Lisboa, better known as Aleijadinho

Antônio Francisco Lisboa (1738-1814), better known by his nickname Aleijadinho, was born in Ouro Preto, the capital of colonial Minas Gerais.

Tradition has it that his father was a Portuguese carpenter and his mother an African slave.

A native of an inland province discovered and founded by Brazilian (and not Portuguese) explorers, and also typically Brazilian in his blood, a mixture of Portuguese and African, he is rightly acclaimed by his compatriots as a truly “national” figure.

Very little is known about his life.

He was reportedly a small, misshapen mulatto who suffered from a mysterious illness in the last few years of his life that made him so crippled that he could no longer walk;