Portrait of the artist’s wife (Emília Bordalo Pinheiro), c. 1903-05. Oil on canvas, signed,  Inv. 3471
Portrait of the artist’s wife (Emília Bordalo Pinheiro), c. 1903-05. Oil on canvas, signed, Inv. 3471

Presentation of Columbano's painting Portrait of the artist’s wife (Emília Bordalo Pinheiro)

2015-02-18

Portrait of the artist’s wife (Emília Bordalo Pinheiro), by Columbano, is the most recent acquisition of the National Museum of Contemporary Art – Museu do Chiado, and can be seen from the 20th february, for the first time, as part of this museum’s permanent collection, displayed next to The Teacup by the same artist.

The depiction of the artist’s wife reveals distinct moments of intimacy, a knowing sensitivity in its suggestion of feeling through the feminine gesture and the detail of the portrait in scenes of banal daily life, which Columbano always liked to explore. Both works retain their emotion, but the mystery of one is clarified in the other through a different treatment of light.

Believed to have been painted in the early years of the 1900s, this Portrait of the artist’s wife is related to another painting of Emília from 1903, part of the collection in the Grão Vasco Museum. In both works, we have the feeling that we are in front of snapshots, impressions of the model in movement, both featuring the same hat, which becomes a point of reference. Punctuated by small white flowers, in brief but impressive brushstrokes, the hat creates a deliberate tension between the lack of definition in this motif and the realism of the face, introducing a note of modernity. The illuminated face stands out and conveys the tranquillity of its gaze. The background, painted in patches, revealing the pure pleasure the artist took from painting, receives a diffused light, as in many other works from this phase.