Ana Maria Dias

Ana Maria Dias
Ana Maria Dias is one of Brazil’s most prominent naïve artists. Her paintings are filled with nostalgia, inspired by childhood memories of her hometown of Porto Feliz “Happy Port” in Portuguese, a lakeside village where she grew up surrounded by harmony, joy, and love.

Her work celebrates village life, portraying people of different races and backgrounds living together in peace. Children playing, couples in love, and families celebrating appear in warm, detailed scenes that highlight unity and emotional connection. In her painting Strong Winds, for example, trees bend gracefully in the breeze, captured in heartwarming colors. She is especially proud of her palette, often using as many as 17 shades of green and 12 shades of blue.

Born in Porto Feliz, Dias lived there until age 20, when she moved to São Paulo and began painting after working briefly as a schoolteacher. Now in her 80s, she has created hundreds of works that preserve the spirit of rural Brazil, keeping alive the essence of a place and way of life that modern times have transformed. Her art continues to be celebrated both in Brazil and internationally.