Influence of eclecticism on the Portuguese tiles

Portugal is located in the continent of Europe and it has a very rich historical and cultural heritage. In the ancient times, Portugal was subjected to domination by the Romans and it was with the Christian Reconquista that Portugal for the first time established itself as a nation. Therefore it is evident that since the primitive era, Portugal has interacted with various other civilizations which have greatly influenced its culture. The shining example of this impact is the Portuguese tiles or azulejos. The term azulejos has been derived from the Arabic term az-zulavi meaning a form of refined stone. The Portuguese tiles can be observed in all parts of the country as they decorate buildings and houses, churches and pavements and are today one of the most attractive features of Portugal.

Over the years, the different artistic movements or concepts have not remained confined to specific artistic genres but rather influenced other art forms as well. This is evident in the fact that literary movements have managed to impact concepts in the visual and fine arts. In a similar manner, the Portuguese tiles or azulejos have also been influenced considerably by different concepts like eclecticism. The term eclecticism refers to the ways by which different theories and concepts are used to gain information on a subject without adhering to one single rigid notion. The Portuguese tiles or azulejos have been popularized immensely by the beautiful eclectic artworks produced by Luis Ferreira. In fact Ferreira’s artworks are well-known as Ferreira das Tabuletas and it is to be noted that despite the setting up of factories for refined tile production, the demand and popularity of the eclectic works of Luis Ferreira did not suffer. Some of the prominent works of the Ferreira include paintings of symbolic figures, trees and foliage, flower vases and other worker themes.