Horses for courses: A caricature of Brazilian footballer Ronaldinho, made by artist Mario Alberto.   Samba scene: An illustration by artist Carlos Meira, featuring a Brazilian couple dancing the samba.

HA NOI  (VNS)— The most well-known aspects of Brazil, from its striking nature to its sport and music, are on show in Ha Noi in an exhibition of illustrations.

Organised by the Brazilian Embassy, the exhibition features 100 important Brazilian editorial, advertising, comic book and animator artists.

Entitled IllustraBrazil, it features soccer stars Ronaldinho, Kaka and 1950s Dino Santos, portrayed in different styles by painters, digital artists and caricaturists.

The Amazon Rainforest and Northeast countryside to the beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema; cities such as Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia, Sao Paulo, Recife and Curitiba are featured.

The myths, legends and folkloric characters of Brazil are also on show, such as Saci-Perere, a playful character with black skin and only one leg, who smokes a pipe and wears a red pointed hat, which gives him magical powers.

Vitoria Alice Cleaver, Ambassador of Brazil to Viet Nam said: "Brazil has long been a melting pot for a wide range of cultures, a rich combination of indigenous, European, Asian and African influences."

IllustraBrazil has been organised annually by the Society of Illustrators of Brazil, in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro since 2004. It has twice won Best Event in the creative industry's HQ Mix Awards.

As part of the exhibition, Brazilian Illustrator Rogerio Soud gave a lecture on the subject on Tuesday at the National University of Civil Engineering in Ha Noi.

Soud works mostly in editorial illustration for local and international clients and brought to the exhibition an illustration of the daily life of people living in Brazil's northeastern province of Sertao.

Soud said Brazilian illustration had become more important abroad, with growing demand in Europe, Asia and the US.

The exhibition will be open through next Thursday at the Vietnamese Women's Museum at 36 Ly Thuong Kiet Street, Ha Noi. — VNS