Page 63 - Exploration10LLR

Azulejos de Lisboa
http://www.newmediarepublic.com/azulejos/
Ideas:
Portuguese tiles, known as Azulejos, adorn the inside and outside of almost every home in Portugal.
Although introduced to Iberia by Moors, the fashion continued after they left. The Moors restricted
themselves arabesque geometric patterns of triangles, squares, and diamonds, probably because many of
them belonged to the Sunni brach of Islam which prohibited images of living things.
Portuguese and Flemish artists began to produce tiles in Lisbon in the 16th Century. Blue and yellow were
the favorite color combination and tiles depicted mostly floral patterns or religious scenes. The ever-
expanding Portuguese empire provided increasingly more exotic themes and colors.

Towards the end of the 17th Century the fashion changed and blue tiles became popular. This was probably
to the craze for blue and white porcelain from China, that was being imported into Europe at this time. This
association with blue tiles tempts many to think that the word Azulejos comes from the Portuguese word for
blue (azul), but it is in fact much older and has its origins in Arabic.

After the earthquake of 1755 there was a return to multi-colored tiles. It
was about this time too that the Portuguese in Brazil discovered that
tiles were ideal for keeping out the damp. In the rebuilt Lisbon houses
were encased in tiles, and this tradition continues today.
The taste for blue and white never abated and some spectacular
examples can be seen in Porto's São Bento railway station. But the
medium has not stood still. Like Portugal, tiles modernized and
developed. They were incorporated into commercial buildings and even
used for advertising. The patronage of businesses and organizations
such as the Lisboa Metropolitano subway, has encouraged the art form
to regenerate itself and become, not just part of Portugal's heritage, but
part of the fabric of modern Portugal too.

Figure 38: Azul Blue glaze

63