Torre da Igreja de São Benedito by José de Dome

This is an original oil (or heavy acrylic) painting on canvas or board by the renowned Brazilian artist José de Dome (1921-1982), titled 'Torre da Igreja de São Benedito'. The work belongs to the Expressionist style, characterized by spontaneous, thick brushwork and a muted yet evocative color palette of ochres, whites, earthy browns, and a singular pop of blue on the church dome and shutters. The composition features a colonial-style church tower rising behind white-washed walls, flanked by a stylized, lean palm tree that grounds the foreground. The execution shows deliberate, broad strokes that convey texture and movement, particularly in the sky and the ground. The piece appears to be signed and dated in the lower right corner, likely consistent with de Dome’s mid-20th-century period (circa 1960s-1970s). It is housed in a contemporary wooden stepped frame with a gilded inner liner. The condition shows minor surface grime and potential slight yellowing of the varnish consistent with age, but the impasto remains crisp and the substrate appears stable without visible cracking or loss. The craftsmanship is high, reflecting de Dome’s mastery in blending Brazilian regionalism with modern European expressionist techniques.