A stroll through the village
It is said of Alfredo Roque Gameiro that he painted in watercolor like others paint in oil. These illustrations for Júlio Dinis’ novel As Pupilas do Senhor Reitor attest to that statement.
The return of the prodigal sun
Nearly a hundred sketches, done by over fifty authors, revisiting the original hundred locations depicted by Alfredo Roque Gameiro settled in his native town to pay him homage.
“A Baixa vista do Jardim de S. Pedro de Alcântara”
A strange and sunny day had hit the city when Pedro Alves and I decided it was time to face the mighty challenge of sketching the crown jewel of Roque Gameiro’s portfolio.
Capela de Nossa Senhora da Guia (Rua da Mouraria)
This old 16th century portal in the edge of the old town of Lisboa, in the area called Mouraria, aparently hides architectural and artistic treasures inside its doors.
Rua do Século (antiga Rua Formosa)
From the Alto da Cotovia, many stories have rolled down the hill – a cleptomaniac arsonist, doomed construction sites, an underground water reservoir that still exists to this date, with an unconspicuous underground path to São Pedro de Alcântara and branching out in all directions of the hill of the Jesuits.
No Largo da Achada
In Largo da Achada you can find one of the dozens of casas de ressalto existing in the city. These are residential buildings, mostly hailing from the 15th century, with overhanging timber-framed floors, leaning over streets and alleys. A clever way of expanding your real estate, which finds its counterpart in the modern marquises. Clever, but dangerous.
Largo da Achada
Lisboa has become a city of street art ever since the Carnation Revolution brought with it thousands of political murals in 1974, right down to the international street art stars Vhils (Artsy link here) and Bordalo II. Many corners and alleys, streets and squares in the old town of Lisboa became showcases for this artform
Beco do Castelo
Deep in the city center of Lisboa, there are still places that utterly feel like a village. Nothing is really public nor private here, in Beco do Castelo.
Rua do Bemformoso
The narrow street that runs in the north-south direction, connects Martim Moniz to Intendente square, has become, in the latest years, home to immigrant communities, mostly from the Indian sub-continent.
O Rossio
There are many words for square in the Portuguese language, each with a specific meaning, or maybe not so much – praça, largo, terreiro, adro… It so happens that rossio is just another one, as there are several rossios around the country, but there is one which people simply call Rossio.
Junto ao Cais das Colunas no Terreiro do Paço
The Cais das Colunas lies in the edge of the Terreiro do Paço, a platform protruding into the Tejo estuary. The columns that name it have been coming and going, and it seems that they were on their day off at the time Roque Gameiro stopped by to visit.
Chafariz do Largo de S. Paulo
Little has changed in the century that spans between these two images. The São Paulo square remains pretty much the same since the time of Roque Gameiro. The late 18th century style architecture that characterized the post-earthquake reconstruction prevails. The 19th century fountain is still in the center of the square.