Portugal Students Prize

A replica of Almada Negreiros’s *Blanco y Negro*, this work explores the contrast between light and shadow through three stylised female figures. The composition and colours emphasise the elegance and modernist spirit characteristic of the artist.

The composition depicts the suppression of rights that hinder the growth of life.

Homesickness is a universal feeling – longing for home, for our culture, for friends and family…

The fish being taken out of context onto a plain background communicates how certain marginalized groups have been taken out of their environments and left on dry land, shown by the use of a gray background used to create contrast and spotlight the message. Protesting against disenfranchisement, I want to underline how migration is an innate right, through the chosen subject, which illustrates the inhumane deaths and misfortunes that minorities suffer because of discrimination.

The work “Cartography of an Undisciplined Body” emerges as an affirmation of the body’s defiant mutability, challenging a society that fears uncertainty and preaches rigidity. The work explores the body as a territory of experimentation: from the physical, in conscious transformations through plastic surgery and bodily modifications that redefine aesthetics and identity; to the metaphysical, in the lived experience of new sensations that allow the subject to be multifaceted, contradictory and fluid. The exploration of different materials and techniques on the face of Taylor Allard (model) materialises the human experience and rejects everything that is constant, unquestionable or ‘normal’. The body is thus a place of resistance and continuous intervention.

This work represents a study of fabrics and their folds, exploring light, shadow and texture through graphite drawing. The aim was to observe how the fabric reacts to lighting and how organic shapes emerge naturally within the folds. The composition was constructed to highlight the contrast between the illuminated areas and the deep shadows, creating a sense of volume and realism. The choice of a dark background helps to emphasise the main form and the three-dimensionality of the fabric. The work seeks to convey calm and contemplation through the simplicity of the object depicted.

Inspired by Caravaggio, seeking drama and theatricality in the relationship between the ‘self’ and the world around me.

The painting depicts the death of a whale and her calf. In the background, it depicts the depths of the ocean, mirroring the calf’s feelings of despair at being left behind following the death of its mother. Beyond the symbolism and the analogy with death, I sought to portray whales, majestic creatures facing extinction

In creating the painting “The Lady of the Enchanted Tiles”, I was keen to explore the fascinating world of tiles, a symbol of our identity and heritage. I drew inspiration from the aesthetics of tile patterns and reinterpreted shapes, patterns and colours, creating new artistic expressions that are represented both in the female figure’s dress and in the earring. The technique I used was acrylic on canvas, and I explored various themes: the module/pattern, illustration and heritage.

A depiction of the human anatomy in oil pastel, featuring masterful use of light and inspired by tenebrism and Baroque art.

The drawing depicts a woman gazing at something beyond the source of the shadows cast upon her body, which is hunched as if she were trying to hide and withdraw into herself.

The painting was inspired by the tiles that are characteristic of Portugal, as well as sardines, a typical Portuguese dish, hence its title, Lusítana.

In creating this piece, I drew inspiration from the passage of time and the daily life of days gone by. I used a candle and its light to represent darkness, and created a literary atmosphere evocative of that era by incorporating books, paper and a quill.

This work explores the body as an instrument of expression and gesture, blending technique and emotion through the themes of romance and wine. It was created on watercolour paper, and the composition combines fine-tip pen, Indian ink and acrylic paint, creating a dialogue between precision and fluidity in the artwork. The two hands, rendered solely in Indian ink, display intense, defined lines, symbolising touch, devotion and the depth of feeling. The red rose represents the love between two beings. One of the feet, created using a mixture of Indian ink and acrylic paint, presents a fusion that suggests a balance between reason and passion. The other foot, rendered solely in acrylic paint, stands out for its chromatic vibrancy, evoking freedom, impulse and the symbolic intoxication of love. The contrast between the materials and their application creates a visual harmony reminiscent of wine: at times dense and profound, just like romance itself.

For this piece, I drew inspiration from the way the media manipulates information to oppress young women and dictate their lives. I used various images from magazines that dictate how women should dress, eat and socialise. Given the media’s dominance over children’s social lives, it is becoming increasingly difficult to grow up without constantly thinking about all the factors that make up one’s social appearance. The girl in the painting represents the exhaustion of trying to live up to all external expectations; for although she is dressed in colours considered childish, she displays a glaring external confusion that prevents her from remaining a child. This confusion represents the news, social media and television entertainment that accompany us every day and which shape and destroy her dreams and expectations.

From the paper that holds such promise, truths are manipulated… A face emerges, a gaze that seeks the truth. Whilst politics writes temporary versions, life leaves permanent marks. In this smile there is something more: there is memory, there is struggle, there is a dignity that no system can break.

Memories of the past.

The painting reflects on the illusion of true love in an era dominated by artificial intelligence; we observe this through the eyes of a person who, following a failed relationship—symbolised by the broken necklace and signs of wear and tear—begins to yearn for an easy and convenient connection. The relationship with the robot, advertised on television, appears as a comfortable and reciprocal solution, but due to the malleable nature of the robot—which proves to be merely a mirror of our own desires—it eliminates the confrontation and otherness essential to authentic love. Thus, the work warns of a future in which comfort will replace the search for genuine love.

I’m trapped. Here. In my own home. My greatest dream is to be free. I want to fly, but they clip my wings. I want to run away, but I have nowhere to go. I want freedom, but I’m too young for that. Where I live, I’m an outsider. I’m the embarrassment amidst so much that’s good. I’m a disappointment to others and to myself. I dream of independence, but I’m dependent. My skin is covered in thorns and torn. I’m not happy here. I’m not myself here. I want to prove I’m not a failure, but I’m not. I look at them and can only think of one thing: disappointment. They say I’ll amount to nothing, but I dream of being something. I want to reach a day when I can say: ‘I’m just like you’. I want to have it all whilst I’m still young, but not just for myself. For them. To prove to them that I’m worth living for. I want to run away, but I’m so used to being trapped that even the slightest bit of freedom unsettles me. I want to be happy, but even that is forbidden.

A close-up of a section of a work (untitled and undated) by Almada Negreiros, depicting four figures—one male and three female—in a state of apparent melancholy. The aim of the work was to explore artistic techniques.

The artwork depicts ‘The Departure of the Emigrants’, a work by Almada Negreiros, at the Rocha do Conde de Óbidos Maritime Station in Lisbon. The piece shows the process from the initial graphite sketch to the final acrylic sketch, portraying the painful farewell of Portuguese families who emigrated in the 20th century. Using a modernist and cubist style, the artist employs geometric shapes to convey the movement and the emotional weight of the scene. Artistic techniques were developed and explored based on this work.

This work explores the expressive potential of ink as a graphic medium offering high precision and contrast. The composition is structured around a natural landscape centred on a waterfall, set within a dense woodland setting, where the absence of colour directs the viewer’s attention to the interplay between light, matter and spatial depth. This black-and-white painting depicts only a small part of nature, where the sole aim is to capture the peace of the environment itself. It is an escape from everything else around us.

Self portrait with the fishes that I really like. This painting is more about stillness and peacefulness. when I painted this, I wanted to capture a feeling of deep, quite place the kind you feel when you close your eyes and let your thoughts drift. The flowing green tones and the circular strokes are meant to echo gentle currents, moving softly around the portrait. The fish drift like thoughts carried by water, peaceful and unhurried.

The passage of time – the way time passes and the depiction of our race against time. How can we, as Portuguese people, make better use of our time? This is represented through the character Galo. A2-sized work on paper, using watercolour as the medium.

This work depicts two sides of the same person, reflecting on the innocence of childhood and the turbulence of youth. It also illustrates the power of depression.

‘Swan song’, inspired by Swinburne’s poem explores the fragility of life as joy, sorrow, and love all fade over time, keywords of the poem displayed over her, inspired by Saville’s ‘Propped’. The arms enclose in the sign language of ‘swan’, symbolising transformation. The girl gazes down in reflection while swan wings are visible behind her, oil paint allowing them to fade softly into the background. The composition emphasizes memory and the bittersweet awareness of life’s impermanence.

Exploring perception from beneath the surface, the underwater world is seen through another’s eyes filtered by light, water and stillness captured through the use of oil paint. The oil paint allows most of the brush strokes to be blended together, creating a fluid feeling. ‘Beneath the Surface’ aims to evoke a sense of calmness and otherworldliness in the viewer that can only be achieved underwater. A dreamlike sensation as well as a feeling of immersion within the painting is created.

This painting was inspired by Spanish artist Pilar Lopez Baez and her use of overlapping figures to convey a sense of memory.

Esta obra comenta a questão do consumismo e a forma como a humanidade deixa marcas inconscientes nos animais. O derretimento e o escorrer de diferentes peles simbolizam a acumulação e o peso dos valores consumistas impostos aos animais. Produtos derivados de animais são temporários e insustentáveis, mas continuam desejados dentro de uma mentalidade consumista. À medida que a superfície do rinoceronte se dissolve, revela um vazio interior, sugerindo que o consumismo apaga a identidade viva do animal e o reduz a um produto. A inclusão de um peluche sugere que, se uma espécie se extinguir, apenas recordações artificiais permanecerão. Isto reflete como as gerações futuras, particularmente as crianças, poderão conhecer os animais apenas através de objetos fabricados, em vez de seres vivos, enfatizando as consequências irreversíveis do consumismo.