Azulejo 

This tile panel, or azulejo, was made by Sa Nogueira sometime in the mid to late 20th century. The artist was Portuguese, so we know the work belongs to a long tradition of decorative and architectural tilework in Portugal and Spain, where it dates back to the Moorish period. Nogueira’s work is interesting in how it modernizes that tradition. Note the geometric, almost molecular shapes in the design, along with the abstract figures. We can see the influence of mid-century modernism, which took hold in Portugal after the Second World War. These forms suggest progress in science, technology, and industry. At the same time, the traditional method speaks to the endurance of older cultural values in a rapidly changing world. To understand this work better, one might research the history of azulejo in Portugal, as well as the development of modernist art and architecture under the mid-century regime of António de Oliveira Salazar.