by Ben Lima | 20 June 2010 | Uncategorized
The Economist alerts its readers to the enduring Portuguese tradition of azulejos, “glazed ceramic tiles that were fashioned into narrative scenes.”
Azulejos seem to be among those traditions sparsely chronicled in English (and perhaps any language other than those of its native tradition). The Instituto Camões has posted an online version of The Art of Azulejo in Portugal (by Alexandre Pais et al.) a short survey covering the fifteenth century to the twentieth (including the Lisbon Underground projects). There is an informative summary in section II of the “Tile” entry in the Grove Encyclopedia of Decorative Arts, and a businesslike survey by Sonia Mucznik in volume 6 (2001) of Assaph: Studies in Art History (appearing next to an article on Hieronymus Bosch by former Artforum editor Philip Leider). Short introductions have appeared in Ceramics Monthly, Magazine Antiques, Art & Antiques, and Architectural Digest. Specialist articles can be found in the pages of Goya: Revista de Arte and Archivo Español de Arte, while a list of books and catalogs is found on the website of the Museu Nacional do Azulejo.
This tradition belongs in historical surveys of murals and other public art. (Romy Golan’s Muralnomad indicates how interesting this field can be.) Is it only a historical accident that azulejo is not as well known as Italian fresco or the Mexican muralists? The New York subway is full of tile, but Roy Lichtenstein chose porcelain enamel on steel for his Times Square Mural (1994/2002). I’m sure that contemporary artists who use azulejo appreciate the way that distinctive qualities of the medium — hardness, shine, grid — allow for a degree of novelty, or prompt a second look, as compared to, say, oil painting. (Elaine Reichek’s embroidery samplers [MoMA, Brooklyn] benefit from a similar novelty.) Finally, azulejos indicate once again the slipperiness of the term “decorative.” Decoration is a function, but inevitably over time (through convention and tradition), the term comes to be attached to particular media. This situation creates an opening for particular artistic circles to self-consciously reject the limitations implied by the term, and produce work that is not ‘merely’ decorative. I wonder whether this is the case with azulejo.
I know that at least one contemporary Brazilian artist, Adriana Varejão, appreciates azulejos for its strong connections with the colonial period in Brazil. Varejão uses the imagery of azulejos to comment on Brazilian colonialism and slavery. If anyone is interested, Varejão’s website is found here: http://www.adrianavarejao.net/site#/
In my opinion, azulejos are also important in history surveys (and upper-level courses) because they can be easily examined through a postcolonial lens. In addition to the Brazilian/Portuguese history of azulejos, such 17th/18th century tiles are closely connected Portuguese trade and the Orient. Azulejos are seen as a prime example of European chinoiserie.
Very cool. Any recommended readings?
Like you mentioned, there aren’t many English sources that discuss azulejos in much depth. There is some discussion of azulejos in this museum catalog by the National Gallery of Art (Washington):
Levenson, Jay A., ed. The Age of the Baroque in Portugal. National Gallery of Art: Washington, D.C., 1993.
I am aware of two publications which discuss Adriana Varejão’s art:
Jean Robertson and Craig McDaniel, Themes of Contemporary Art: Visual Art after 1980, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010. (This book ties Varejão’s work into postcolonial themes.)
Rina Caravajal, “Travel Chronicles: The Work of Adriana Varejão,” in Lia Gangitano and Steven Nelson, eds., New Histories, Boston: Instutite of Contemporary Art, 1996. (Exhibition catalog)
Super – many thanks.