Azulejo Art, the History of an Ornamental Practice

A product of the ceramic art form, the azulejo reveals a capacity to
adapt to and incorporate styles and artistic movements which cut
across the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. Initially used as a
substitute for the lack of altarpieces and paintings in churches, the
azulejo gradually became a costly object, prized by the aristocracy
for the decoration of its palaces. Some compositions reveal a practice
in which the ornamental is adjusted to affirm and legitimize the
aesthetic value of an art form.

The Grand Panorama of Lisbon is symptomatic of this phenomenon.
Discovered recently in the palace of the Counts of Tentúgal, this 17th
century creation (c.1699) attributed to Gabriel del Barco, reveals the
taste of the time, especially in its use of a characteristic duotone.
It represents a complete panorama of the city before the famous
earthquake of 1755. Its topographic dimension gives us, in effect, a
chance to identify both existing and destroyed monuments. Convents,
churches, palaces, a great number of buildings represented here, have
one thing in common: the pervasive presence of azulejos. This panorama
thus allows an analysis of ornament through the typological study of
conservation sites. Even so, from church to palace, the usage of the
azulejo varies. Function, use and the pleasure of posessing such works
are among the parameters which one must take into account when
considering an art form which addresses themes to do with the very
notion of ornament.

This conference will present case studies from the Iberian Peninsula
and will allow one to discover results of recent research projects on
azulejos and ceramics in Portugal.

For the detailed programme please see:
http://www.inha.fr/IMG/pdf/Programme-22.pdf