Rodolfo Amoedo was a Brazilian painter, decorator and designer best known for paintings such as Portrait of a Woman and The Death of Atala. He was raised by actor parents amidst financial difficulties. After studying art for some time at Pedro II college, Rodolfo worked as a decorator. He resumed his education in art at the Academia Imperial de Belas Artes. His big career breakthrough came in 1879 when he won a scholarship to study in Paris for his painting The Sacrifice of Abel. His time in Paris was spent studying with esteemed art teachers. He also became a member of the highly reputed Salon and held exhibitions of his work. He returned to Brazil about a decade later and became an art professor and the vice director of the Escola Nacional de Belas Artes. Many of his students went on to earn great acclaim in the world of arts. Rodolfo was also known for painting panels at some of the most important buildings in Brazil. He passed away in 1941 in relative obscurity. However, his work is on display currently at the National Museum of Fine Arts.
