O art nouveau na Amazônia: ocorrência, apropriação e riscos para sua salvaguarda na cidade de Belém (Pa)

Abstract

The Art Nouveau style spread from Europe to other regions of the world between the late 1880s and 1920s, a period that coincided with the peak of the rubber economy in the Amazon, which favored its importation and dissemination in northern cities, especially in the capitals of the states of Pará and Amazonas. In addition to utensils, furniture, urban furniture and works of art in the Art Nouveau style, architecture incorporated the style into its typological design or partially adopted elements of the style. In the city of Belém (PA), the style is observed in buildings of the period, either as typical Art Nouveau structures or in eclectic buildings with formal elements of the style predominating or occurring occasionally in formal elements. Over time, these elements were also appropriated by the population, creating a more simplified or stylized form. The objective of this research is to document and understand the occurrence of the Art Nouveau style in the Amazon, taking as reference the facades of buildings in the city of Belém (PA), identify its appropriation by the population and assess the potential risks to its safeguarding. The methodological approach encompasses the stages of documentation, qualitative diagnosis and spatialization of occurrences associted with the analysis of legal protection. The research identified that the occurrence of the Art Nouveau style can be classified into three types, called: Traditional, when the facade presents a formal and decorative composition typical or predominantly in the style; Decorative, in which the facade presents some decorative elements; and Appropriation, in which the facade presents elements that indicate inspiration in the style in a simplified and less elaborate way. The traditional variant predominates in neighborhoods where a population with greater purchasing power was concentrated and whose consolidation occurred at the height of the style that coincides with the rubber economy, such as Nazaré and Batista Campos; the Decorative is spatially balanced, with great prominence in Campina, Reduto and Nazaré; Appropriation predominates in areas of expansion and occurs extemporaneously, such as the Umarizal neighborhood, Reduto and the most recent part of Cidade Velha and Batista Campos. Art Nouveau is present in buildings outside the protected circuit and are at risk of disappearing, and its documentation is an instrument of recognition that can support strategies for its preservation in the region.