José de Melo Falcão Trigoso (Lisbon, 1879 – 1956) demonstrated from early on his aptitude for painting, receiving, as young as seven years old, from his grandfather and poet João de Lemos, his first paint palette, with which he would begin all future works, in tribute to his grandfather. After completing his high school studies, he entered the Lisbon Fine Arts School, where he was a pupil of Carlos Reis, Simões de Almeida and Veloso Salgado. He completed the Painting course in 1901. While still a student, he showed his work at the Silva Porto Society Exhibition, in 1900, remaining close to this group and their activities until approximately 1912. Later, he would also be connected to the Silva Porto Group (1927-1939) and to Sociedade Nacional de Belas Artes, of which he was one of the founders, in 1901. In 1920, he participated in the Great Exhibition of Portuguese Art, at the Rio de Janeiro National Fine Arts School. Between 1946 and 1956, he participated in the Plastic Arts General Exhibitions. In professional terms, and after completing his studies, he became Director at the Vitorino Damásio Technical School, in Lagos. He was also director and teacher at the Fonseca Benevides School and at the António Arroio Applied Art School, influencing a whole generation with the spirit of freedom he instilled in the students. Member of the generation of artists that continued the Naturalist aesthetics of the 1880’s generation, Falcão Trigoso had a solid and vastly recognised path in Portugal. A lover of the open air, he left a remarkable collection of landscapes, particularly of the Algarve coast, his favourite research area, that he called “Golden Coast”. Throughout his career, he was awarded several times, most importantly with the Anunciação Prize, in 1900, the gold medal he received at the Panama-Pacific Exhibition, in San Francisco, California, in 1915, and the Silva Porto 1st Prize, in 1954. His work is represented in various collections.
FMV, setembro 2020
