Between universes: the ateliers of Francisco Laranjo

Abstract

In his text "Entre universos: os ateliers de Francisco Laranjo," Francisco Miguel Laranjo offers us a detailed and engaging account of the atmospheres and spaces of his father's studios. As part of a major inventory project of his father's artistic legacy, Francisco Miguel Laranjo provides an important description of the different studios, suggesting a comprehensive portrait of the four studios his father used over his nearly fifty years of work: the first in Baguim do Monte, the second on Rua Chã (behind São Bento Station), the third on Calçada de Monchique (with views of the Douro River), and the fourth at number 146 Rua do Comércio in Porto (after a brief stay on Rua Mouzinho da Silveira). The text describes the spaces and atmospheres of the last of these ateliers. Francisco Miguel Laranjo adds that "the perception of being in a magical place is intoxicating," and "you can feel the soul." The description of the spaces and objects is rigorous and moving, as it intelligently and sensitively recovers the memory, the memories, of Francisco Laranjo. Francisco Miguel Laranjo concludes by telling us that "the universes that [his father] gathered over five decades are [now] returned to the world," where "the soul and its universes remain alive in works scattered across several continents."