"The Power of Landscape - Looking at a Landscape and Thinking about the World", works by the Grão Vasco National Museum
A selection of around 90 paintings from the collection of the Grão Vasco National Museum in Viseu, brought together in the exhibition "The Power of Landscape - Looking at a Landscape and Thinking about the World", can be seen in the Exhibition Gallery of the Palácio da Cidadela in Cascais between 29th June and 6th October 2024. The exhibition is part of the Museum Quarter programme and takes place as part of the collaboration between the D. Luís I Foundation and Cascais Town Hall with the Grão Vasco National Museum, which will soon also be bringing works by Paula Rego to the centuries-old museum in Viseense.
Of great cultural and historical value, "The Power of Landscape - Looking at a Landscape and Thinking about the World" is a unique opportunity to see works from the Grão Vasco National Museum's collection that have mostly been inaccessible to the public. Organised into five thematic sections, the exhibition recounts the encounter between artist and nature and how it was recorded by painters from different eras. The exhibition also includes examples of mineral specimens (landscape jasper, quartz with watermelon tourmaline and pyrolusite dendrites), also from the museum's collection, which, due to their characteristics and geological composition, constitute true landscap
Landscape painting cuts across the Grão Vasco National Museum's painting collection, which features artists from different periods who painted countryside and urban, figurative and abstract panoramas that highlight the complexity and vastness of this theme. In the paintings on display, the artists relate to the landscape by recording the way they understand, conceptualise, see or imagine it. The exhibition features artists such as Grão Vasco (1475-1542), José Malhoa (1855-1933), Columbano Bordalo Pinheiro (1857-1929), Júlio Gonzaga Ramos (1868-1945) and Joaquim Lopes (1886-1956).
Odete Paiva, director of the Grão Vasco National Museum, says that the exhibition "The Power of Landscape - Looking at a landscape and thinking about the world" aims to provoke meaningful reflections, starting from the landscape as an inspirational element, in order to think about man's relationship with nature. Landscapes, whether natural or humanised, show us the passage of time and the fragility of the environment and evoke emotions and experiences. Contemplating them should remind us of the importance of protecting and conserving them for future generations."
The exhibition's organisers also point out that this collaborative initiative aims to forge partnerships that help diversify cultural experiences in Cascais and Viseu, promote territorial cohesion and make known artistic narratives that promote respect for diversity.
Find out more on the Dom Luís I Foundation website: HERE
More information: +351 214 815 660 | geral@fdl.pt
Organisation: Câmara Municipal de Cascais | Fundação D. Luís I | Bairro dos Museus