So said Cottinelli Telmo, the creator of the Monument
to the Discoveries, insisting that architects should have the right and freedom
to assert their subjectivity, elude rationality and circumvent material
constraints. His words also sum up the way in which he saw architecture: in
communion with all arts and disciplines.
An exceptional creator and a man of many talents,
Cottinelli was an unusual combination of intuition and intelligence, culture
and sensitivity. A virtuoso draughtsman with an effervescent sense of humour,
his enthusiasm was contagious. He was constantly alive to his surroundings,
always on the lookout for new experiences and driven by a boundless curiosity.
His personality was complex and full of nuances, eschewing a linear path. The
same was true of his career, which was punctuated by frequent successes, but
also by doubts and hesitation.
With the help of the archives and collections of
various public institutions, this exhibition brings together rarely-seen pieces
and unpublished material in order to paint a picture of Cottinelli Telmo
immersed in his creative process, giving body to his ideas and form to the
conjuring of his unstoppable imagination.
Biography
A Creative Life
José Ângelo Cottinelli Telmo (Lisbon, 1897–Cascais,
1948) is a unique figure in 20th century Portuguese culture. His creations
continue to influence the country’s imaginative life to this day. In the early
20th century, Lisbon’s cultural scene was small and insular, but it was eager
for novelties and change. New media such as the press, film and exhibitions
were a source of fascination for young creative people. Cottinelli soon set out
to test every new format, and in all of them he became one of the major
proponents among the generation that lived through that effervescent period.
As an architect he worked for the Companhia dos
Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses (CP, the national rail company) and was a member
of state departments, but he also ran his own private studio. He tried his hand
at ballet, musical composition, photography and art criticism, and also worked
as a journalist and editor. He played a stand-out role in the history of comic
book art and film in Portugal. His creations were pioneering and acted as
models, opening up the way for others to follow, and instrumental in making
these disciplines accessible to the public.
As Cottinelli’s creative work evolved, some compromises
certainly had to be made due to the conservative forces that dominated the
country. However, he never lost his sense of alertness and lucidity, which led
him to oppose the most reactionary, academically retrograde and
backward-looking attitudes.
When we think of Cottinelli, we see the image of
someone constantly committed to inspiring the creative types whom he gathered
together and mentored. And yet, in spite of all this, he also experienced
loneliness due the smallness of the artistic world at the time.
Schedule:
07.12.2014 / 28.02.2015 – Tuesday to Sunday 10 a.m.06
p.m. (last admission 05.30 p.m.)
01.03.2015 / 06.04.2015 – Everyday – 10 a.m. – p.m.
(last admission 06.30 p.m.)
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