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Almadas Artistic Journey
THE BEGINING
Jose de Almada Negreiros, has in his father, António, a marking influence. The interest his ancestor nourished for the literature, founding numerous periodical journals, marked Almada Negreiros deeply, and the passion for writing that starts very early never abandons him.
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However, Almada finds in the drawings a form of communication, which is perhaps richer. In this drawing of "Arlequim" drawn at the age of 27, you can feel the influence of Picasso in both the subject chosen and style of drawing. The phenomenon of impressionism, which was very strong in France, did not affect Portugal as much as naturalism did. Almada did not let himself be influenced by impressionist chains, and immediately in his first drawings one notices his strong connection to a new trend that emerged in Portugal by the hand of Amadeu de Sousa Cardoso 7 years older than Almada |
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Decorative art marks all of Almada's artistic passage from the very beginning, be it in form or murals or canvas for public places such as is the case of this picture. This"Self-portrait in a group" painted for the wall of "Café A Brasileira" of the chiado, frequented by painters and writers of avant garde. The two pictures - which were in the cafe up to 1970 - were the first pictures of great dimensions painted by Almada |
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"Eyes are for seeing and what eyes see only destiny knows" the phrase Almada wrote on this drawing. This "self portrait with drawing board" reveals the proximity with which the plastic artist lived with literature, looking for, in this in case, that the text has a deep relation with the drawing accumulating the mystery of pictorial work. Literature and Painting working in conjunction. |
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MADRID
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Almada spends 5 years in Madrid, lead by the emerging influence that Spain brought to painting by the hand of Picasso. The "Self Portrait" , shown here could be a picture of any singer from zarzuela interpreting the citizen of bohemian Madrid, had it not been for the big eyes of the painting revealing clearly that it is Almada. In Madrid, Almada dedicates himself to decorating theatres and the University city which was then being constructed. |
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This "Scenic study" once more reveals the clear influence of Picasso in his work. In this study, Almada Negreiros incorporates a dose of elevated sensuality, with a tendency for eroticism a subject that begins to be normal to the scope of modernization of painting, that painters like Picasso, introduced at the beginning of XX century |
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The elaboration of the picture, "Maternity" which evokes the birth of the son whom he named Jose, shows the capacity to communicate strongly and emotionally, without the subject becoming complex, not even in colour, using only the three primary colours, nor in the theme, which achieves simplicity in the way it "undresses the world" where only mother and son comfort mutually. After completing the stain glass windows of the church Nossa Senhora De Fatima situated in Avenida de Berna, in Lisbon in 1938, Almada meets the Arquitecto PARDAL MONTEIRO for the first time. This meeting again reorients Almada's work again to decorative art, but now more imposing, connected to great public buildings representative of the architectural trends of the New State. |
MATURITY
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From the time of the mural for the new Diario de Noticias building in Lisbon, to the participation in the Portuguese World Exhibition, destiguishing himself in this phase with emblematic works such as the frecos painted for the Gare Maritima de Alcantara and for Gare Maritime of Rocha do Conde de Óbidos
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THE ERA
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The era of Jose de Almada Negreiros, could not completely be defined without a reference to Fernando Pessoa, critic in the first appreciation he made of Almada's work. Pessoa is even more influential on Almada, given the importance the artist also dedicated to literature. "The portrait of Fernando Pessoa" reading number 2 of magazine "ORFEU" is a summary of all of the influences in Almada's career: (1) the decorative art - this picture was commissioned to decorate a cafe; (2) Picasso- in the geometry of the subject,(3) literature the Orfeu magazine and finally; (4) Pessoa, who linfluenced Almada leaving a mark that represents this era. |
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