Mestre Eudócio - Brazilian ceramic artist

Manuel Eudócio Rodrigues, known as Mestre Eudócio, is a renowned Brazilian ceramic artist. He has mastered the art of capturing the way of life and customs of the people in north-eastern Brazil in clay. Eudócio was born in 1931 in Pernambuco, in the community of Alto do Moura near the city of Caruaru. After the death of his mother, he moved in with his grandmother, who introduced him to the world of popular ceramic toys at an early age.
As a child, he learned to mould his own toys out of clay and made animals such as horses, oxen and cows. Later, he devoted himself to figurative ceramics that reflect the everyday life of his surroundings. In 1948, he began his career as an artisan, refining his technique under Mestre Vitalino, the most famous ceramic artist in Brazil. Vitalino's influence on Eudócio's work is clearly evident. Zé Caboclo, Vitalino's brother-in-law, and José Antonio da Silva, known as ‘Vitalino's first student’, also had a significant influence on Eudócio's artistic development.
Eudócio added elements of Pernambucan folklore to his ceramic art and thus developed his unique style. To this day, he fires his works in rustic wood-fired kilns at low temperatures without using colours. In a further step, the pieces are usually painted with bright, light-coloured enamel paints.

The artist used his creativity to transform figures from folk festivals. He placed them in various scenarios. For example, Dona Joana appears at the Reisado at weddings and baptisms. She also appears pregnant with an umbrella.
Ana Maria Schindler from the ‘Pé de Boi’ gallery tells of a visit to Mestre Eudócio. Suddenly they heard loud shouting. A cart with a dead man was part of a procession. Everyone was drunk, except for the horse. Maria went on to say that he immediately started painting and created a work. This scene inspired him to do so.
The artist created dozens of figures. Today, they are considered trademarks of his
famous works. These include ‘Lampião and Maria Bonita’, ‘Trio Nordestino’,
‘Groom on Horseback’, ‘Milking the Cow’, ‘Weddings’, ‘Old Woman Going to Mass’,
‘Bumba-Meu Boi’ and many others.
One of his most remarkable works is ‘Boi nos ares’. It shows a bull on a cactus. A farmer scratches his head, his straw hat in his hand. He is trying to understand the scene.
Moacir dos Anjos é o diretor do Museu de Arte Moderna Aluísio Magalhães, em Recife. Ele descreve Mestre Eudócio como “o mais original e inspirador artista brasileiro que trabalha com argila”.
Suas peças podem ser encontradas em museus brasileiros e fazem parte de várias coleções particulares coleções particulares, que podem ser admiradas aqui:
- Museu do Barro in Caruaru-PE
- Museu do Homem do Nordeste in Recife-PE
- Museu Casa do Pontal in Rio de Janeiro-RJ
- Museu do Folclore Edison Carneiro in Rio de Janeiro-RJ
- Castro Maia Museum (Chácara do Céu) in Rio de Janeiro-RJ
Eudócio was awarded the title ‘Patrimônio Vivo de Pernambuco’.
In his honour, the exhibition ‘Manuel Eudócio – Patrimônio Vivo’ was opened in August 2005. It took place in the Popular Artist Room of the Folklore Museum in Rio de Janeiro.
The ceramist died on 10 February 2016 at the age of 85 in the Mestre Vitalino Hospital in Caruaru. The greatest legacy of Mestre Eudócio are his three sons, José Silvano, Luiz Carlos and Ademilson Rodrigues. They continue to make ceramic figures and work on their father's oeuvre. They carry the legacy and wisdom about the value of art out into the world.
