The Artist
Eduardo Parentoni Brettas was born in Ponte Nova, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
His earliest drawings of Brazilian birds date to a childhood spent freely among Brazil's lush natural landscapes. His mother, Indiana Parentoni Brettas, was his first great supporter, encouraging him to become a master of naturalistic painting.
His works are commissioned by major ornithological research centers - such as the University of São Paulo (Brazil) and Princeton University (USA) - as well as by museums and art galleries in cities including Atlanta, Dubai, Rio de Janeiro, and Belo Horizonte, and by collectors around the world.
He conducts courses and lectures on naturalistic art, generously sharing his talent and techniques with professionals and enthusiasts alike.
Eduardo lives and works in Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, with his wife, Vanessa, and their two sons, Tiago and Ricardo.
Edoardo Rivetti, Luís Fábio Silveira e Eduardo Parentoni Brettas no Museu de Zoologia da USP (MZUSP), Departamento de Ornitologia.
Eduardo Brettas, a remarkable Brazilian natural history illustrator!
“Among the many expressions of love for nature, I believe the natural history illustrator may be the most sublime devotee.
I picture my friend Eduardo Parentoni Brettas—now a renowned Brazilian natural history illustrator—before he begins a drawing, consulting and observing the animals and plants he intends to depict, whether preserved museum specimens, living creatures in captivity, or those in the wild.
With the humility typical of the humble, he observes, discusses, learns, and teaches many of the details nature reveals—details often overlooked even by distinguished naturalists. When he sets to work, he enters a state of near-hypnosis, savoring every detail at each stage of creating his meticulous illustrations.
I have known Eduardo Brettas’s work since its inception and have witnessed his rapid evolution. Today, his illustrations enrich several important works on our fauna—such as As Aves em Santa Catarina, Terra Papagalli, and Beija-flores do Brasil—as well as countless illustrations in magazines, special articles, theses, inserts, and watercolor collections. I do not intend to list them all, for quantity alone does not measure his worth.
What best defines Eduardo Brettas is his remarkable ability to experiment with and master a wide variety of techniques, as demonstrated by the progression of his work. Today, with the experience he has gained enriching his God-given talent, I consider Eduardo Brettas a valuable asset to the biological sciences in Brazil.”
Account by Herculano Marcos Ferraz de Alvarenga, physician and PhD in Zoology, former Director of the Taubaté Natural History Museum.