Jean-Baptiste Debret: A Neoclassical Painter and Pioneer of Brazilian Arts Education Jean-Baptiste Debret (1768-1848) was a French painter and draughtsman celebrated for his Neoclassical style, recognized as one of the foremost visual chroniclers of 19th-century Brazil. His artistic journey began in Paris, where he absorbed the principles of Neoclassicism—a movement prioritizing classical austerity, idealized forms, and heightened emotional expression—under the tutelage of Jacques-Louis David, a towering figure of his time. This formative influence shaped Debret’s entire oeuvre and cemented…