Pedro Américo: The Battle of Avaí (1872-79)

 

(Museu Nacional de Belas Artes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

A painting by the Brazilian artist Pedro Américo (1843-1905). This large painting shows a battle from the Paraguayan War (1864-1870), also known as the War of the Triple Alliance. the war was fought between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance of Argentina, the Empire of Brazil, and Uruguay. The war was a result of the Uruguayan War (1864-1865) which in turn was caused by internal struggles in Uruguay between the Colorado and Blanco factions, each attempting to seize and maintain power. Brazil supported the Colorado party and managed to defeat the Blanco faction. After their defeat, Paraguay invaded Uruguay in support of the Blancos. the Paraguayan War was the deadliest war fought on South American soil, especially for Paraguay which lost about 69% of its population. Paraguay lost the war and lost about 40% of its prewar claimed territories. It took decades for Paraguay to recover from the chaos and demographic losses. this painting shows the battle of Avaí (11 December 1868) which was one of the last major combat engagements of the Paraguayan War The battle was fought between the forces of Brazil and Paraguay. The battle was a complete victory for Brazil as almost the entire Paraguayan army was destroyed. Painting from 1872-1879.