BRAZILIAN CORDEL — WOODCUT LITERATURE

VISUAL STYLE: Literatura de Cordel — Brazilian popular literature printed with hand-carved woodblock illustrations. Bold, graphic, energetic. The visual tradition of Northeast Brazil — stories of bandits, saints, droughts, and magic printed on rough paper.

COLOUR PALETTE: Single colour woodblock print on rough unbleached paper. Deep black ink on cream or newsprint ground. Occasionally two colour — black plus a single bold accent (red, blue, or yellow). The warmth of the uncoated paper shows through.

LINE QUALITY: Hand-carved woodblock — bold, slightly rough at edges, with the characteristic grain and imperfection of the carving tool. The carver's hand is present in every mark.

FIGURES: Stylised and dynamic. Bold silhouettes with characteristic expressive exaggeration — large hands, dramatic poses, expressive faces.

COMPOSITION: Strong and simple — figure against plain ground. No complex depth or perspective. Direct visual communication.

No photographic reference. No sophisticated perspective. The direct, energetic visual language of popular printed storytelling.