Mestre Do Az | Genuine & Updated

Today, art critics in São Paulo argue that his work is a direct response to Concretismo —the 1950s Brazilian art movement that valued geometric objectivity. "While the Concrete artists put their work in galleries for the elite," wrote critic Ana Cecilia de Mello, "Mestre do AZ put his Concrete poetry on the walls of the favela, where the rain, the smog, and the police would eventually erase it." Despite his legendary status, no one knows who Mestre do AZ is. A grainy photograph from a 1987 edition of Folha de S.Paulo shows a man in a dark hoodie painting a letter "K" on the Minhocão (an elevated highway), but his face is obscured by the shadow of the viaduct.

Some believe he is dead. Others believe he is a collective—a school of anonymous writers who have adopted his style to keep the myth alive. mestre do az

The most romantic theory, however, is that "AZ" is a contraction of "Aço" (Steel). Witnesses claim that his tags, etched onto the rusted metal gates of abandoned factories and the brushed aluminum of subway cars, appear to be carved rather than painted, as if the hand that held the can possessed the strength of a locksmith. Today, art critics in São Paulo argue that

There is no consensus. Some say it is a phonetic abbreviation for "A ao Z" (A to Z), implying that his work encompasses all letters of the alphabet. Others believe it refers to the "Azimute" (Azimuth)—the angular measurement on a compass—suggesting that his tags are directional spells meant to guide lost souls through the labyrinth of the megacity. Some believe he is dead