Artist Manuel Santos honors family through portraiture
Summary and headline written by AI from the source article. How we work
In Santa Comba Dão, Portugal, artist Manuel dos Santos completed an exhibition at the Núcleo Museológico de Artes e Ofícios by portraying his parents, Elvira Durães and Belmiro Santos, and himself.
After focusing on portraits of famous composers in earlier parts of the show, Santos turned to more personal subjects, using old photographs as references for his charcoal drawings.
He explained that capturing the likenesses of loved ones required greater attention to detail and emotional connection than portraying figures from images. Santos created the family portraits after completing the series on composers, around 15 to 16 years ago. He chose photographs that held special meaning for him, aiming to represent his parents as he remembered them. The artist noted the increased difficulty in finishing portraits of people he knew well, as he strived for complete accuracy.
Looking at his self-portrait, created 16 years prior, Santos recognized the younger version of himself, noting a difference in his hairstyle. He expressed a desire to eventually portray his grandparents in the same style, and thanked the museum and the Câmara Municipal of Santa Comba Dão for supporting his work and promoting Portuguese culture. He concluded by saying he hopes to still be alive to see his portrait on display.
