João Batista da Costa was from the Itaguaí municipality of Rio de Janeiro. He was orphaned at the age of 8 and spent his childhood being shuttled between relatives and in orphanages. It was during his time in an orphanage that he was introduced to creative pursuits such as music and art. His talent was noticed by his teacher, Antônio de Souza Lobo, another accomplished Brazilian artist. The support of his teacher and others lead him to continue his artistic training first at the Academia Imperial de Belas Artes in Rio de Janeiro. Here, he became acquainted with other notable Brazilian painters such as Zeferino da Costa and Rodolfo Amoedo with whom he attended classes until his graduation in 1889.

Following graduation from Academia Imperial de Belas Artes in 1889, Batista da Costa continued his art education in Paris at the esteemed Académie Julian in 1896. During this period in Europe, he also traveled to Germany and Italy before finally returning to Brazil in 1898.

After overcoming the loss of his first wife he married again and fathered four children. He became a professor at the Escola Nacional de Belas Artes in Rio de Janeiro in 1906 and continued to work there until his demise in 1926 at the age of 60.