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Hygino Simplício de Almeida was one of the first to study with Maurino Araújo. “I used to carve bits of wood and he started telling me about the different kinds of wood, tools, about saints and the baroque style. I ended up learning a lot and realized it was time to follow my own path.” Hygino has been living off his art for 24 years. He was born in 1958, in what he says is a blessed land: Minas Gerais. “Life isn’t easy. When I started. I used to sell my pieces in bars, because I didn’t really value my work. I’m a big fan of Aleijadinho. I put the faces I see around me on my sculptures. I come from a humble family, my mother was a washer woman and I made my toys with clay. I am what I am today because I never left my roots behind, and because I learned a lot with Maurino. He never taught us how to copy. He always insisted we had to find our own way.” Hygino has found his. |
