CAXIAS/MA revelada pelas lentes do fotógrafo Sinésio Santos, 1950 – 1990

Abstract

The present thesis is a historical-documentary research that analyzes the trajectory of a "master in the art of photographing" and, through this one, studies the photographer Sinésio Santos’ collection, from Maranhão. It is a rich imagery material about the Caxias/MA city, produced in the second half of the 20th century. The temporal cut of the research refers to the period in which the photographer practiced the profession in the city - 1950-1990. The discussions highlighted by this work underline the importance of images for the expansion of historical and cultural studies, as well as for the conservation and dissemination of the memorial aspects of Caxias and its inhabitants. Such images depict political, family and social events in public and private environments, as well as photographs that reveal the spaces, architecture and social practices that have ceased to exist, thus revealing not only the marks of that another time, but also aspects of the city’s heritage. For the research, in addition to the analysis of the Sinésio Santos’ photographic collection [large part digitized from the negatives left by the author and made available by the family], the author’s personal records, reports and documents were consulted as well as newspapers and other documentary sources like material objects that have endorsed it. For the thesis composition, and in order to confront the information obtained, as also to produce a narrative that reveals the trajectory of the photographer, we rely mainly on the methodology of Oral History through testimonies of people in the community who knew him/lived with him. It is worth mentioning that the investigation led us to realize that the Sinésio Santos’ collection contributed to highlight the visual history of Caxias, given its importance for the preservation of the city’s historical and cultural patrimony.