Tracing the Artistic Journey

Abstract

This paper examines the preparatory studies carried out by Almada Negreiros for the 1949 mural paintings at the Rocha do Conde de Óbidos Maritime Station, focusing on the evolution of the artist’s choices in terms of composition and the use of colours. By comparing these studies with the final work, the aim was to add new information regarding Almada’s creative process, offering new insights into his methodology and artistic decisions. The work was based on collating drawings from several archives and collections. Results showcase examples of how these studies can be seen as autonomous works, in some cases as ramifications and in other cases as a process of revisitation of recurrent themes of Almada’s visual and literary practice. Results also show how drawings became progressively more geometrical as the studies progressed, moving away from the more naturalistic figuration, and how colour followed the same path, becoming more vivid and sometimes unrealistic.