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The story of Martiniano Moreira de Carvalho – known as Naninho – is similar to that of hundreds of other Brazilian craft artists. He was born in 1962 in the village of Bichinhos, in the Prados (MG) neighbourhood. “We had to make our own toys because we were very poor. At first I made them in clay. Then, when I was 13 years old, I started using pieces of wood, but when I grew up I realised that it was taking me nowhere and started working as a bricklayer in Tiradentes (MG). But I lost my job and went back to Bichinhos. A mate who was making a Christ for the church asked me to help. He ended up leaving and I made the image myself.” He says he started making images of the Holy Ghost 13 years ago. “I worked for the Oficina de Agosto workshop for a while, and still do. Toti used to give me jobs to do. Nowadays everyone makes images of the Holy Ghost but if you pay attention you will notice the differences. |
