Another tract of Santiago personality was that by influence of his wife Ariadne, who was an artist painter, he acquired a deep interest in the arts. This was also enhanced, because he for a time hosted in his home the famous painter Alberto da Veiga Guignard, who had a feeble healthy condition. Santiago became his voluntary private doctor. Guignard owes his life—and much of his present success to the dedicated Santiago Americano Freire, who nursed him back to health from a nearly fatal case of the diabetes failure. He also arranged that Guinard got a state pension of $100 a month; further Santiago provided most of his exhibitions. In one year alone Guignard sold more than 100 of his paintings.