The woodblock prints of northeastern Brazil began as an offshoot of a folk art known as literatura de cordel or string literature. For centuries, folk poets roamed the countryside telling stories of historic events and selling their transcribed poems with woodblock print covers to rural audiences. José Francisco Borges was an herb seller, bricklayer, farmhand, carpenter and potter before becoming a poet and woodblock print artist. He is now one of Latin America’s most celebrated artists and his work is exhibited in museums around the world.
A Noiva Sertaneja (The Country Bride) by Jose Francisco Borges
