Jorge Barradas (Lisbon, 1894 - Lisbon, 1971) attended the Machado de Castro School and, in 1911, the School of Fine Arts in Lisbon. However, he would not complete any of these courses giving preference to a self-taught education. Through the director of A Sátira, Barradas was introduced to the bohemian nucleus of Lisbon, with whom he exhibited at the I Salon of Portuguese Humorists (1912). In the following years he would participate in exhibitions that, like the previous one, undoubtedly contributed to the emergence of a new path in Portuguese art - Modernism. We find him in the II Exhibition of Humorists (1913), in the I, III and IV Exhibitions of Humorists and Modernists (1915, 1920 and 1924) and in the II Salon of Modernists (1916). In the late 1910s and throughout the 1920s he cooperated with numerous publications such as Papagaio Real, Ilustração Portuguesa, Magazine Bertrand, ABC, among others, contributing with notable illustrations. He was the artistic director of Abc a rir and founded with Henrique Roldão the journal O Riso da Vitória. However, he did not depart from the universe of painting, collaborating from 1925 to 1927 in the famous decoration of the A Brasileira cafe, with a work that would earn him the Malhoa Prize (1930). Provided with an attentive look at what surrounded him, Barradas portrayed the Portuguese folklore with originality and humor - the popular neighborhoods with their typical figures, such as fish sellers, dairies, beggars, the new-rich - highlighting the protagonism given to the female figure. This genre became the specialty of his work, although, he did not ignore other genres like still life and religious compositions. In 1931, a six-month stay on the island of São Tomé resulted in tropical landscapes, marked by strong chromatic contrasts. From 1935 to 1947 he continued to participate in modern art salons in Portugal, receiving the Columbano Prize in 1939. He also marked his presence abroad, exhibiting in Brazil (1923), in Seville (1929) and in Paris, where he was awarded with a gold medal at the International Exhibition of Paris (1937). From 1945 he successfully devoted himself to a career as a ceramist, having received the Sebastião de Almeida Prize (1949). His work is present in institutional and private collections.
FVM, October 2020
