I am writing this while travelling in Portugal so it seems appropriate to focus on a Portuguese artist. Álvaro Lapa (1939-2006) is one of the most enigmatic and significant artists in 20th century Portuguese art. Much can and has been said about this art; however, today I focus on an aspect that speaks the most at a time when Israel is again at war, when the world that knows better falls again into the deep grooves of history’s wheels.

What I like about these works from 1969 is the calm of introspection. An introspection that given time leads to an understanding and acceptance of self which in turn leads to a greater tolerance of others and, one day, peace.

There are many layers and aspects to the Álvaro Lapa‘s often biographical art. Working across the figurative, abstract and literary genres in a space all his own, he explored the intersection between the written word and pictorial expression, the amalgamation of landscape and domestic spaces, the convergence perhaps, of his soul and mind.