Biblio&gráficos: o livro de artista de larga escala no contexto editorial brasileiro

Abstract

The printed books we have access to today in the bookstores are obviously very different from the ones which were around in the early 20th century. Much has changed since then: the technologies, the target audience, access to reading, distribution and the way criticism is done. The focus of this dissertation is to understand how the technologies of book production have been altered, impacted and influenced by the visual culture in which we are immersed. To achieve this goal, I started with a historical painting of three foreign publishers that influenced the global production: Simon and Schuster, Gallimard and Penguin. Then, adjusting the focus to the Brazilian market, the text will address the trajectory of the Brazilian publishing market, from its foundation in the imperial era to the establishment of what can be considered the largest (and best) Brazilian publishing company today: Companhia das Letras. Based on the production pattern currently established by this publisher, I now turn to its variations, specifically the graphical variations proposed by active publishers, in order to finally get to the heart of the matter: the importance of Cosac Naify's books as manifestations of easily accessible artists' books - or, as I call it here, large-scale artists' books. To support the reflections brought about, the study of Paulo da Silveira on artists' books – as well as works by Nicholas Mirzoeff and John Berger on visual culture, its origins, impacts, and ramifications – is vital in this dissertation.