Olinda has more working artists per square kilometre than almost anywhere in Brazil — the combination of cheap rents (by Brazilian standards), a beautiful setting, and a tradition of bohemian settlement has made the historic hill a magnet for painters, sculptors, and printmakers for decades. The Galeria do Macambira is one of the established spaces showing this work, with a collection that focuses on painting and xilogravura (woodcut printing), the traditional illustrative medium of the Northeast.
Xilogravura is the art form used to illustrate cordel literature — the popular pamphlet poetry sold at markets across the Northeast. The bold black-and-white cuts depicting biblical scenes, folk heroes, and political satire have become a recognised art form in their own right, and Pernambuco is one of its centres. The gallery sells prints and paintings, and the prices reflect the fact that you are buying from living working artists rather than at an international gallery. Olinda has many other small studios and galleries worth wandering into; the Macambira is a reliable starting point.