“It is one of the new art that now appears in the capital of the North, as a promising revelation, more than that, a positive statement that is already proven in facts of authenticity, of value of an artist who begins where many do not end.”
Acácio Lino, according to the analysis of Guedes d’Oliveira, in 1910, as a future and promising name in Portuguese painting.
Thus, we begin the celebration of Acácio Lino, a contemporary painter, born on February 25, 1878, at Casa da Pedreira, in Travanca, Amarante.
From an early age, Acácio Lino showed an aptitude for drawing. At the age of nine he began to draw very characteristic elements of his surroundings, such as flowers and fruits.[2].That childhood atmosphere was spent in Travanca, a land in the municipality of Amarante, characterized by its rural landscapes of intense colors and penetrating aromas. Around these parts Acacinho, the diminutive with which he was affectionately treated by the family, returned whenever possible to paint in his studio, installed in the house of Figueiras, the bucolic rural environments, full of strong colors, where the naturalist aspect of the artist gained an unmistakable vivacity .
Until he reached the excellence that his paintings emanate, Acácio Lino’s life path was intense and truly challenging, as he followed the wish of his father, Rodrigo Magalhães, and began his studies in Medicine, however years before, still during his youth and staying at his brother Albano Magalhães’ house in Porto, he attended the drawing classes of Professor Marques de Oliveira, as well as the historical drawing and sculpture classes at the Porto Academy of Fine Arts. Without much financial support from his father, Acácio Lino “sold portraits to craion to pay current expenses”.[3].
Sala Acácio Lino – Palácio de S. Bento, Lisboa.
Source: parlamento.pt
In 1904 he left for Paris on a scholarship, to continue his studies there with Jean Paul Laurens and F. Cormon, masters from whom he had a great influence on historical painting. Before his definitive return to Portugal, he traveled to countries such as Switzerland and Italy. He would return to his homeland in 1906, applying for the position of professor at the Academy of Porto in the chair of historical painting, an institution that would accompany him throughout his teaching career, leaving as a retired professor.
This is how we are faced with a personality who stood out in naturalist and historical painting, but also in portraiture, religious themes and sculpture, executing a vast set of works for different institutions, both public and private, which are currently scattered throughout museums and spaces. very diverse. Examples include the panels in the Acácio Lino Room, at the S. Bento Palace, in Lisbon, the ceiling of the S. João Theater, in Porto, in collaboration with José de Brito, the works on display at the Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso Museum , as well as the House-Museum named after him.
Today we celebrate an artist much cherished and honored in life by his peers, students and family, a man who reflected in his paintings a unique knowledge of the art of drawing and painting, both historical and with more rustic and animalistic motifs.
Among the various honors granted to him, the attribution of
(…) a Medalha de Honra da Sociedade Portuguesa de Belas-Artes, em 1927, a Comenda da Ordem de Sant’Iago da Espada e a Medalha de Ouro de Mérito Artístico da Cidade do Porto, em 1940 e 1941.”[4]
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[1] Excerpt from an article about the painter Acácio Lino by Guedes d’Oliveira. In O Occidente – Revista Ilustrada de Portugal e do Estrangeiro. 33º ano – XXXIII volume – Nº1138.
[2] Lino, A. (1951). Recordando… Tipografia Alves & Novais. Porto.
Sofia Mesquita,
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