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Sarah Affonso, the art name used by Sara Sancha Afonso, (1899–1983) was a Portuguese artist and illustrator who was brought up in the Minho Region in the north of the country. Adopting a modernist style, she painted scenes of rural life in her childhood province and portraits of peasant women. Although she exhibited in Paris in the late 1920s, her most important paintings date from the 1930s. She was largely forgotten until her work was presented in 2019 at Lisbon's
"A forgotten Portuguese modernist finally has her moment"
— illustrated biography from ''Apollo Magazine''] {{DEFAULTSORT:Affonso, Sarah 1899 births 1983 deaths 20th-century Portuguese women artists 20th-century Portuguese painters People from Lisbon Portuguese illustrators Portuguese women painters Commanders of the Order of Saint James of the Sword Portuguese women illustrators
Sarah Affonso, the art name used by Sara Sancha Afonso, (1899–1983) was a Portuguese artist and illustrator who was brought up in the Minho Region in the north of the country. Adopting a modernist style, she painted scenes of rural life in her childhood province and portraits of peasant women. Although she exhibited in Paris in the late 1920s, her most important paintings date from the 1930s. She was largely forgotten until her work was presented in 2019 at Lisbon's Calouste Gulbenkian Museum
The Calouste Gulbenkian Museum houses one of the world's most important private art collections. It includes works from Ancient Egypt to the early 20th century, spanning the arts of the Islamic World, China and Japan, as well as the French de ...
.
Biography
Born in Lisbon on 13 May 1899, Sara Sancha Afonso spent her childhood in a modest home inViana do Castelo
Viana do Castelo () is a municipality and seat of the district of Viana do Castelo in the Norte Region of Portugal. The population in 2011 was 88,725, in an area of 319.02 km². The urbanized area of the municipality, comprising the city, ...
in the north-west of Portugal where she attended the Colégio de Nossa Senhora de Monserrate. On returning to Lisbon with her parents in 1915, she studied at the Fine Arts School under Columbano Pinheiro, graduating in 1922.
In 1924, she spent eight months in Paris attending lectures at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière. She was particularly impressed by a exhibition of works by Matisse
Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but is known prima ...
, as can be seen from her 1924 paintings ''As Meninas'' and ''Anemones'' in Lisbon's Museu do Chiado
The National Museum of Contemporary Art of Chiado (Chiado Museum, in Portuguese: ''Museu Nacional de Arte Contemporânea do Chiado'' – MNAC) is an art museum located in the Chiado neighbourhood of Lisbon, Portugal. It was created in 1911 an ...
.
She participated in the SNBA's Autumn Exhibitions in 1925 and 1926 while working as an illustrator of children's books and for the press. Above all, she devoted her time to embroidery and knitting. After a well-received solo exhibition at the Salon Bobonne in 1928, she returned to Paris where she earned a living sewing clothes. She returned to Lisbon in 1929, where over the next few years she presented works in several collective exhibitions, receiving reasonably positive reviews.
In September 1933, she returned to her father's village in the Minho region where she was inspired by scenes reminiscent of her childhood years. She is remembered in particular for her works from this period which depict peasant girls, cattle and green hills as well as women nursing or working in the fields.
On 31 March 1934, she married the painter José de Almada Negreiros
José Sobral de Almada Negreiros (7 April 1893 – 15 June 1970) was a Portuguese artist. He was born in the colony of Portuguese São Tomé and Príncipe, the son of a Portuguese father, António Lobo de Almada Negreiros, and a Santomean mothe ...
with whom she had two children. After continuing painting scenes from Minho in the early years of her marriage, she spent most of her time raising a family. In the late 1950s, she returned to book illustration.
In June 1982, President António Ramalho Eanes
António dos Santos Ramalho Eanes, GColL GCL GColTE CavA GCB RVC (; born 25 January 1935) is a Portuguese general and politician who was the 16th president of Portugal from 1976 to 1986.
Background
Born at Alcains, Castelo Branco, he is ...
honoured her with the Order of Saint James of the Sword
The Military Order of Saint James of the Sword ( pt, Ordem Militar de Sant'Iago da Espada) is a Portuguese order of chivalry. Its full name is the Ancient, Most Noble and Enlightened Military Order of Saint James of the Sword, of the Scientifi ...
. She died in Lisbon on 14 December 1983.
References
External links
"A forgotten Portuguese modernist finally has her moment"
— illustrated biography from ''Apollo Magazine''] {{DEFAULTSORT:Affonso, Sarah 1899 births 1983 deaths 20th-century Portuguese women artists 20th-century Portuguese painters People from Lisbon Portuguese illustrators Portuguese women painters Commanders of the Order of Saint James of the Sword Portuguese women illustrators