Arlindo Rocha Sculptures
When sculpture sought to be only sculpture
Ana Luísa Oliveira
MASTER IN PUBLIC SCULPTURE
Dissertation oriented by Professor Doctor José Carlos
Pereira
2011
LISBON UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF FINE ART
Arlindo Gonçalves da Rocha,
sculptor born in Oporto, was in conjunction with Fernando Fernandes and Manuel Pereira da Silva, one of the
pioneers of abstract sculpture in Portugal. A study trip to Oporto in 2008 was
the starting point of the research on the work of Arlindo Rocha, which proved
to be a great artistic estate in rich and diverse materials and styles. His
work raised some initial issues, in particular by the presence of two distinct
artistic languages, one founded on neo-figurative values and another, more
solid and innovative for its time, pioneer of a neoplastic language, in the
register of Portuguese sculpture. For a better understanding of this issue,
this dissertation starts an attempt to understand the time in which the
sculptor lived. By knowing more about his time we can understand the reason why
his first experiences of an abstractive art emerged timidly, which was intended
to be modern and abstract, but remained neo-figurative. As such, this work will
also look into the analysis of some sculptures by Arlindo Rocha, where we
recognize a pioneer landmark, especially in the exploration of new artistic
languages, which help us in understanding the overall work of this sculptor.
