Costa Lima Art Appraisal

Colonial Street Scene Painting by Costa Lima (1974)

This is an original mid-20th-century oil or acrylic painting on canvas or board, depicting a colonial-style street scene, likely in Brazil, given the architectural features and artist's name. The piece measures approximately within a medium square-to-rectangular format and is housed in a simple, off-white painted wooden frame. The composition features a rugged cobblestone street leading the viewer's eye into the distance, flanked by weathered colonial buildings with red-tiled roofs and a prominent church tower in the background. The color palette is dominated by earthy ochres, browns, and muted greys, contrasted against a pale blue, textured sky. The artist's technique is highly impasto, using thick, expressive brushstrokes and palette knife work to create physical texture that mimics the crumbling stone and plaster of the ancient architecture. In the bottom left corner, the painting is clearly signed 'Costa Lima' and dated '74' (1974), with a location shorthand that appears to read 'Ba' for Bahia. The condition shows some surface dust and minor age-related cracking typical for its 50-year age, with the frame showing slight scuffing and paint wear. The heavy application of paint suggests a robust, artisanal quality, characteristic of Brazilian mid-century regionalist art.