Copyright: Eduardo Nery,Fair Use
This is a tile panel by Eduardo Nery, part of the Campo Grande Metro station in Lisbon. The primary material here is ceramic tile, of course, a commonplace material associated with architecture, not fine art. The image is painted in cobalt blue, a traditional color for tilework. Notice that the image seems to pixelate as it descends down the wall. The artist did this by deliberately composing the picture on a grid, a kind of proto-digital effect achieved through very analogue means. It's a clever way of thinking about how we perceive images, especially at the scale of architecture, where we're constantly in motion. Tilework is also deeply connected to Portuguese culture, and the history of colonialism, and trade with Asia. This mural is a reminder that the context of a work – its location, its cultural associations – is just as important as the artist's intention. It encourages us to challenge traditional distinctions between fine art and craft.
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