In Entrevelas, the figurative structure becomes dominant, approaching an almost cubist mode of analysis and surface outlines. Entropy is perfectly controlled here, with strict contours, in spite of the fractionation and an ambiguous or apparent dissolution of the whole, through similarity and contiguity.

 

Some memories of Almada Negreiros’ neorealist motifs or the artist’s intervention in Lisbon’s maritime stations run through this piece, which is unique in Fernando de Azevedo’s body of work due to the aesthetic choices employed, which can still be situated on the margins of this heritage.

 

The scale of the caravel underlines the overwhelming symbolic force of the maritime element to which it refers, with its implied link to an entire history of discovery and conquests. The horizon line of beach, hill and sky, perceptible in the background, sets the vessel in a realistic space which is now transformed into a Chimera-like geography. The multiplication of sails, building to a crescendo of elevation and complexity, is the analogy of a desire for an intensely full pictorial search, assuming free experimentation and varied references – symbolism and surrealism, figures and strength of form.

 

 

Leonor Nazaré

March 2013