Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Village scene / Cena de aldeia


As you may have noticed already, small village scenes are among my favorite subjects. The rough houses, the mix between architecture and nature, the variety of textures turn this places into a true feast for the eyes. Here's one more, in the middle of which an abandoned manor house remains as a reminder of a past splendor.
Conforme já terão percebido, as cenas de aldeia estão entre os meus temas preferidos. As casas toscas, a mistura entre arquitectura e natureza, a variedade de texturas e cores fazem destes lugares uma verdadeira festa para os olhos. Aqui está mais uma, no meio de cujo casario um velho solar abandonado permanece como uma lembrança do esplendor de outros tempos.
Fabriano cold-pressed 7"x 5" - 140lb (12,5x18cm - 300g/m2) paper

6 comments:

Stephen Dell'Aria said...

Wow! What a great scene. the walk leading straight into the village is just like an invitation to visit. Intriguing place with such vertical building construction.

Paulo J. Mendes said...

Each one of these tiny villages is a world by itself. Even if they have been emptied in the last decades, as many inhabitants went elsewhere in search of a better life, there are still so many things you can find there: Traditional houses, a couple of shops, a few watermills, animals running free, streams and beautiful fields around, and sometimes a small interesting monument as an old manor house, a church or a roman bridge. And of course, friendly people that will salute and have a chat with the visitor.
I can never be tired of these places!

Julio Rodrigues said...

Parece-me ver um velho solar em certo estado de envelhecimento e abandono. Infelizmente, um reflexo de realidade. Por outro lado, a cena aqueceu-me o espírito como já estou habituado. Este sítio é uma espécie de terapia semanal para mim.

Paulo J. Mendes said...

Efectivamente, há nesta aldeia imaginária um velho solar que já viu melhores dias.
No que à terapia diz respeito, pintar estes pequenos trabalhos é a melhor de quantas tenho experimentado. Por mim, não fazia mais nada...
Um abraço!!

Unknown said...

I love your work Paulo. My favorites on this page are Careful when crossing and Tiny Private Paradise.

You amaze me with your compact format jam packed with wonderful scenery and stories. I feel like I am part of the scene instead of the usual outsider looking in.

Paulo J. Mendes said...

Thank you, Sheila, for your words. It's a coincidence that the works you mentioned are also two of my favorites.
Even if I may try bigger sized works in the future, this small size is the one I most enjoy working.
Have a wonderful Sunday and see you again soon!