The Visual Arts of Portugal
Azulejos, Paula Rego etc
The quality of light, the influence of Roman and Moorish cultures and the history of global exploration have all contributed to the visual aesthetic of Portugal. Here we provide some background information to the arts and artists of Portugal.
Azulejos
The Painted Tiles of Portugal
Azulejos
One of the most striking features of Portuguese towns and cities are the ceramic tiles, azulejos, that adorn many walls and buildings. Tiles depicting saints such as St. Anthony and the Virgin Mary appear on the front porches of countless homes, on hot bright days the sunlight bounces off the tiles, dazzling the passing viewer, whilst keeping the interiors of the homes cool.
The earliest methods of ceramic tile making were introduced into Portugal and Spain by the Moors. Favouring non-representative forms of decorative art for religious reasons, the Moors produced tiles with complex interlaced geometric patterns. The monumental masterpiece of Moorish architecture, the Alhambra in southern Spain, provides a breathtaking example of this geometric approach to design and decoration......(Read More)
Paula Rego
Dark Fairytales
Paula Rego
Paula Figueiroa Rego was born in 1935 in Lisbon. Her father owned Portugals first private cinema and it is from the cinema that Rego discovered a fascination with the visual arts. It may seem stange that an artist who explores themes of illegal abortion, child sexuality and the human as animal, should claim Walt Disney as a major influence, but Paula Rego fuses these themes together in paintings that illustrate the condtradictory nature of the human species......(Read More)