Upon entering the artistic installation Ecos Armoriais at
CASACOR São Paulo 2024 , it is possible to contemplate, on the dresser by designer Eduardo Carvalho, the work of
J. Borges , one of the most relevant Brazilian popular artists. Borges was born in 1935,
in the municipality of Bezerros, in Pernambuco . Until the announcement of his death this Friday (26), the Pernambuco native was the greatest living woodcut artist in the country . The illustrator was 88 years old and died of natural causes, according to his family. Root wood engraver
J. Borges' woodcuts stand out for their strong connection with cordel literature and themes intrinsic to the popular
culture of the Northeast. The rustic and original features of his work, as described by curator
Pedro Ariel Santana , led the artist to be considered a
"root woodcut artist" by the writer
Adriano Suassuna , who was a personal friend and work partner of Borges.
Borges had no formal academic training. Before becoming
the greatest name in northeastern woodcuts , the Pernambuco native had already been
a bricklayer, farmer, carpenter, house painter and salesman. He had enjoyed cordel literature since childhood, but it was only after the age of 20 that he began to produce and sell his own pamphlets, which would later be illustrated with the woodcuts he drew. For over sixty years, Borges remained faithful to the cordel woodcut . "This cordel theme, which is somewhat medieval and at the same time
surrealist, was always present in his works," says Pedro. The curator points out that, while other artists tried to make woodcuts more sophisticated, Borges did not abandon the original forms of the art he produced. J. Borges' "root woodcut" is a landmark of
popular culture in the Northeast. If in the 1970s, J. Borges' productions visually represented the
Armorial Movement inaugurated by Ariano Suassuna, today his works are a reference for the new generation of Northeastern artists such as Derlon and Bozoba Camarte, who thank him on social media:
"Thank you, J. Borges" .
J. Borges' art is featured in a free exhibition at the Museu do Pontal in
Rio de Janeiro , on display until March 25, 2025.
His work is also featured at the Louvre Museum in France and has already reached the New York Museum of Art in the United States. Other countries such as Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Venezuela and Cuba have also received the artist's work. 
