João Vaz (Setúbal, 1859 - Lisbon, 1931) attended the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Lisbon between 1872 and 1878, where he learned with Tomás de Anunciação. After completing his studies, having not obtained a scholarship abroad, he traveled to several places, namely France, where he established contact with French naturalists. Between 1883 and 1925 he assumed the position of director of the Industrial School Afonso Domingues. He was also a founding partner of the Grémio Artístico and the National Society of Fine Arts. His work debuted publicly in 1880 at the twelfth exhibition of the Promoting Society of Fine Arts. From this date on he would exhibit regularly in Portugal but also abroad, in several International and Universal exhibitions (obtaining honorable mention in 1900, in Paris, and in 1904 a medal, in St. Louis, USA). At this stage he would already attend the Cervejaria do Leão de Ouro in the company of other young artists, where they elaborated projects and debated news from abroad. Thus, the Group of Lion was formed - Silva Porto being the central figure and João Vaz one of the founding members -, the group responsible for the penetration of naturalism in Portuguese painting. He was an active member of the group, having participated in the eight exhibitions they held. After its disintegration in 1989, Vaz was a founding and active figure of the Grémio Artístico, which continued the mission of the previous group. He gradually saw a recognition of his work, being awarded multiple times. He also played an important role in education, having been invited to teach also outside of his school. He contributed to Portuguese art with a vast repertoire, not only in terms of quantity but also of thematic variety. The navies were his favorite painting genre, essentially producing the Tagus and Sado landscapes. However, he also contributed with other pictorial productions, highlighting his architectures. His paintings are part of several national public and private collections.
FMV, October 2020
