Taking as a clue a citation of Mocidade morta (a novel by Gonzaga Duque) and the analysis of some Brazilian paintings (from the end of the XIXth Century and the beginning of the next) this article intends to question some parameters of Brazilian art history. It emphasizes also the need to rethink the traditional periodization of Brazilian art since the diferences between "academic" and "modernist" art are often superficial ones.
Brazilian art history; Brazilian iconography; Anita Malfatti; "Tropical"