In Amarante, Portugal, there is a museum dedicated to Amadeo de Souza-Cardosa. Read about the museum from the museum, using their own words. A few highlights that they highlighted; cliff notes of cliff notes, if you will. He was born in the late 1800s. It was 1887 if you absolutely must know. He traveled and exhibited all over Europe. He exhibited in the United States, and would eventually return to Portugal and more specifically, to Porto. He continued painting and exhibiting within Portugal. And at the ag of (gets out the calculator app) 30, he died from a bout of influenza.
Painting Cavaquinho guitar
c. 1915
I like the strong bold colors. Blocky shapes and gobs of paint appear to be my jam. I think that is a saying people either still say or still understand. This looks like a fairly uncomfortable pose though. He knew his canvas was not that large, so this guy has to hold his guitar high. I imagine lots of arm cramps and complaining. But it is a nice piece, so worth it in the long run.
Water-mills
C. 1915
Add architecture to bold colors, blocky shapes, and gobs of paint and that is my jam, only organic stuff on sale. Or, whatever my jam X2 would be. I like that you know the building is a building, even as it starts to blend into the background. You see the windows and know what it is.
This piece was donated to the museum by someone from his family. That is neat.
Portrait of a Man
C. 1913
Who is this guy? Is the shifty eye telling us he does not trust people, or that is a jerk, or maybe there is a bird behind him he wants to keep track of. I like that it makes you think of cubism, but I would not call this cubism. That is a really nice mustache. Is this the early 1900s Tom Selleck of Portugal? These are questions I have, while enjoying this painting of an unnamed man.
There is more on the museum website, and if you like these three, I think you will like many of the others as well. This was a good find and would recommend it to anyone that is going to be in the area.