José Jorge da Silva Escada

About

José Jorge da Silva Escada was a Portuguese painter born in Lisbon in 1934 and died there in 1980. He studied at the Escola de Artes Decorativas António Arroio and from 1950 at the Lisbon School of Fine Arts, where he completed his painting course in 1958 and formed connections with artists like René Bertholo, Gonçalo Duarte, Lourdes Castro, and João Vieira, joining the 'Ice Coffee Group' in a shared studio.[4][5][10] His career began in the mid-1950s with promise, involving collaborations with architects and exhibitions from 1953 to 1979, though he was discreet and avoided self-promotion despite esteem from peers like Vieira da Silva.[4][7] Escada's work blended abstract and figurative elements, often featuring high-color landscapes, faces, and mystical-intimate constructions exploring existential unity between man and nature. Associated with Surrealism, he produced around 20 known artworks, though not widely recognized in his lifetime due to his short career of 46 years. Retrospective exhibitions include 'Escada um Príncipe Fora do Tempo' (São Roque gallery, 2014) and 'I do not evolve, I travel' at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation's Modern Collection in 2016.[4][5][6]

Surrealism with abstract and figurative elements, high-color landscapes and mystical themes