30 November marks the 130th anniversary of the death of Francisco José Resende, an artist who, following in the footsteps of Roquemont with a genre painting that valued the picturesque side of customs, marked his place in the history of Portuguese romanticism.
Francisco José Resende de Vasconcelos was born in Porto on 3 December 1825. He studied in the studio of Augusto Roquemont, whose influence was felt in his painting, and attended the Academia Portuense de Belas Artes.
From 1851 onwards, he took up the post of substitute professor of Historical Painting at the same Academy, an appointment made by special decree signed by Queen Maria II.
With the aim of finalising his artistic training, he left for Paris in 1854, funded in particular by King Ferdinand II, joining the studio of Adolphe Yvon, where he worked under his direction for five years. On his return to Portugal, he resumed his position at the Academia Portuense de Belas Artes, continuing in the same role as regent of the chair of Historical Painting until his retirement.
He produced a vast and varied body of work, marked by a few lapses in quality that earned him heated criticism from some of his colleagues while he was still alive. Known for his genre painting, in which he depicted popular types and customs from the northern regions, Resende also painted numerous portraits, some landscapes, flowers and still lifes. His artistic activity included miniatures, occasionally sculpture, and extended to literary criticism, collaborating with various newspapers, especially “O Comércio do Porto”.
He took part in numerous exhibitions in Portugal and abroad, namely in Paris, Madrid and London, where he was awarded a silver medal for his painting “Pescadores de Leça”. Following in Roquemont’s footsteps with a genre painting that emphasised the picturesque side of customs, Resende marked his place in the history of Portuguese romanticism.
Francisco José Resende died on 30 November 1893. Six years after the artist’s death, his daughter Claire donated the canvas “Amai-vos uns aos outros” (“Love one Another”) (detail in the photo) to the Academia Portuense de Belas Artes, a painting that is now part of the Soares dos Reis National Museum collection.