Introduction

The goal of this study is to document and analyze “santos,” religious sculptures, artistically produced in the southeast region of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The large number of colonial cities, among them São João del-Rei, Ouro Prêto, Tiradentes, Mariana and many others, are famous for preserving eighteenth-century baroque religious practices through theatrical baroque displays, combining local traditional music, liturgy and contemporary/colonial art. Moreover, this region is well-known for their talented woodcarvers who are masters sculptors of religious images.

A large variety of techniques, creative processes, styles, and devotions have been established in this region of the Verterntes for the last 20 years. The majority of the images sculpted by local artists are used for religious celebrations inside the church and in processions. The major focus of those dramatic theatrical displays attracts thousands of believers. Cesare Ripa’s Iconologia of 1593 states the idea that “images made to signify a thing that is different than what one can see with one’s eye” brings forward mystical experiences between the beliver and the image.

The research period of January 2002 through August 2003 was supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the College of Arts and Sciences of New Mexico State University. I am grateful to the artists for their time in sharing with me their creative processes and permission to publish this material.

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