AUGUSTUS EARLE (1793-1838)
The Corcovado or Monte Cristo (710m - 2, 230ft)
Brazil
In View on the Sugarloaf from the summit of Corcovado mountain, near Rio, 1822
The mountain
The Corcovado (710m - 2, 230ft) meaning "hunchback" in Portuguese, is a mountain in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The granite peak is located in the Tijuca Forest, a national park. It is often confused with nearby Sugarloaf Mountain. The peak of Corcovado is a big granite dome, which describes a generally vertical rocky formation. It is claimed to be the highest such formation in Brazil, the second highest being Pedra Agulha, situated near to the town of Pancas in Espírito Santo.Corcovado hill lies just west of the city center but is wholly within the city limits and visible from great distances. It is known worldwide for the 38 metre (125 ft) statue of Jesus atop its peak, entitled Cristo Redentor or "Christ the Redeemer".
The most popular attraction of Corcovado mountain is the statue and viewing platform at its peak, drawing over 300,000 visitors per year. From the peak's platform the panoramic view includes downtown Rio, Sugarloaf Mountain, the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas (lake), Copacabana and Ipanema beaches, Estádio do Maracanã (Maracanã Stadium), and several of Rio's favelas. Cloud cover is common in Rio and the view from the platform is often obscured. Sunny days are recommended for optimal viewing. An additional attraction of the mountain is rock climbing. The south face had 54 climbing routes in 1992. The easiest way starts from Park Lage.
The Corcovado is also a symbol of the Brazilian culture.
Source:
- WikiRio
The artist
Augustus Earle was a London-born travel artist. Unlike earlier artists who worked outside Europe and were employed on voyages of exploration or worked abroad for wealthy, often aristocratic patrons, Earle was able to operate quite independently - able to combine his lust for travel with an ability to earn a living through art. The body of work he produced during his travels comprises a significant documentary record of the effects of European contact and colonisation during the early nineteenth century. From 1817 to 1832, Earle travelled trough Sicily, Malta, Gibraltar, North Africa, North Americas (New York Philadelphia), South America (Brazil, Peru, Chile), Tristan da Cunha (Antartica) the Pacific, Asia, India, Mauritius, St Helena (where he met the french emperor Napoleon in exil), New South Wales, New Zealand, Tasmania... he came back in England in 1832 ans died in London in 1838.
