This is the last in this short sequence of pieces from Porto, but for me they represent a fun departure from the focus on Bristol street art, and make an introduction to the different styles that you can find in different cultures around the world.
Mesk, Porto, Portugal, June 2022
The fact that I am sharing this piece with you at all can be attributed to the street art hunter’s philosophy of being guided by curiosity – what lies down that alley…? should I walk just a little bit further…? Had I not followed my instinct, I would never have found this magnificent piece by Mesk in an alleyway off the beaten track. The soft tones in browns and pinks, are a bit of as trademark of this artist, and work really well together. The cartoon-style is also really appealing. I have another couple of pieces by Mesk from this trip and look forward to sharing them with you soon.
Another prolific artist in Porto is Costah. What is really enjoyable about Costah’s art is that he has embraced the whole edgy culture of street art and seems to combine legal with non-legal walls and is equally at home with paste ups as he is with spray paints.
Costah, Porto, Portugal, June 2022
This cat, painted on a derelict building on a steep hill just north of the river is a really classy piece. Just by looking at it, you can see straight away that it is painted by someone who knows and understands street art. The stylised cartoon cat is a real charmer and seems to fit in so well with the sun-baked wall it is painted on. More too from Costah to come.
A prolific, and it would seem well respected, artist in Porto is Hazul. Over the three days that we were there exploring the city we encountered a hatful of abstract murals by the artist, some new, some old and some that looked like commissions. These are the first three…
Hazul, Porto, Portugal, June 2022
The first is a beautiful piece in black, white and red (the colours of early Decay pieces), with nice curvy lines and patterns. The crystal shape is almost like a signature and appears on a lot of Hazul’s work.
Hazul, Porto, Portugal, June 2022
The next piece looks more like a commission, and is nicely placed on the side of a building. The abstract shapes seem to have a consistent form and the colour selections work wonderfully well. This is a really carefully thought out and skilfully executed piece.
Hazul, Porto, Portugal, June 2022
The last of this mini-gallery is likely to make it into a Thursday doors compilation at some time in the future. The shapes in this piece are not unlike those in the piece above. Once again some great colours have been used. Hazul seems to be an artist who really knows and understands their craft. More from Hazul to come.
Although there isn’t the same kind of volume of street art in Porto as there is in Bristol, the range and variety of pieces is extensive and imaginative. These two pieces, by Carvalho, are studio paintings that have been framed and stuck to walls, carefully selected in various different places in Porto. I found these two, but I don’t know how many there might be, and there aren’t any references to them on his Instagram account.
Carvalho, Porto, Portugal, June 2022
The first piece has been placed on an orange-tiled wall, which I think was very carefully selected as it picks out the orange tones in the subject’s skin, and contrasts well with the purple hoodie. The piece itself is a stunning portrait of a young man, in which the proportions are perfect, Colours, tones and shading all combine really well, and as for the placement – this is truly spectacular free street art.
Carvalho, Porto, Portugal, June 2022
Carvalho’s other piece, that we found, looks like it has been around for a little while longer, as the frame is a little weathered. The canvass itself, though, still appears to be in reasonably good condition. Once again the placement of the piece has been carefully considered, and is on a rather neglected door, contrasting cleverly with the subject of his picture.
Carvalho, Porto, Portugal, June 2022
The portrait of a young child might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it is certainly an arresting image that is worth a second glance. The perspective is unusual for a piece of art, but isn’t this how we see people smaller than ourselves? Once again, the tones and shading in this piece are exceptional. Two great finds of great works by a very talented artist.
There is something perfect about this picture, and it is one I like very much. It was taken on our first day of exploring Porto while we were just finding our bearings. I don’t know who the artist is, but his charming monster character reminds me a lot of Mote’s work in Bristol.
Unknown, Porto, Portugal, June 2022
The framing of the piece is what makes it so appealing, and while it isn’t exactly the best piece of street art you’ll ever see, it is highly memorable and simply good fun.
I was inspired by Dan Anton’s post last week in which he showed off doors from fire and rescue service vehicles which provided an opportunity to enjoy both the doors and the vehicles, many of which are so incredibly different to the ones we have here in the UK.
The highlight of my trip to Porto with my daughter at the beginning of June, turned out to be our trips in the old trams, three routes of which continue to run today, Lines 1, 18 and 22. Work on the tram network began in 1872, with lines running throughout the city, but these were reduced to only three in the 1960s and 1970s. The three ‘heritage’ lines run all-day services and Line 1 runs from the city centre waterfront along the river to the seaside district of Foz.
There was something very comforting about riding on these rickety old trams with their wooden double-ended single carriages finished with beautiful fittings. The driver’s consoles with a wooden dashboard and brass handles were a sight to behold. Anyone who is interested in ‘old stuff'”, would have been in heaven – I certainly was. Unfortunately we didn’t have enough time to visit the old tram museum, but it is something to look forward to if ever I return to this beautiful city.
These pictures of the trams, most but not all, with doors – the compartment doors are open, but they are there if you look carefully – should give you a sense of how special they are. I hope you enjoy them, if even only a fraction as much as I did:
Porto Tram carriage and doors, line 1, Porto, Portugal, June 2022Porto tram driver’s console, line 1, Porto, Portugal, June 2022Tram carriage and inner doors, line 1, Porto, Portugal, June 2022Tram seat that can be re-set for the return trip, line 1, Porto, Portugal, June 2022Porto Tram, line 18, Porto, Portugal, June 2022Porto Tram with side doors, line 18, Porto, Portugal, June 2022Porto Tram with side doors, line 18, Porto, Portugal, June 2022Porto Tram with side doors, line 1, Porto, Portugal, June 2022Tram seats that can be arranged as forward or backward facing, line 1, Porto, Portugal, June 2022Porto Tram carriage with inner doors, line 1, Porto, Portugal, June 2022
So on a momentous day when our dreadful Prime Minister at last decides to resign, I will love you and leave you and raise a glass to better fortunes.
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors, and you really ought to take a look at the No Facilities blog by Dan Anton who has taken over the hosting of Thursday Doors from Norm 2.0 blog. Links to more doorscursions can be found in the comments section of Dan Anton’s Thursday Doors post.
Following on from last week, I bring you another instalment of doors from Porto for your enjoyment. The three days I spent in this glorious Portuguese city will keep me going on Thursday doors for quite a while yet, so grab a chair and make yourself comfortable.
These doors are from the North bank of Porto from the Ribeira district up to Porto Cathedral, a walk that is not too far as the crow flies, but takes you up countless steps, and is more than a little exhausting, but rewarding on reaching the cathedral.
Red door, Porto, Portugal, June 2022Tall brown door, Porto, Portugal, June 2022small black corrugated iron door, Porto, Portugal, June 2022Three doors on a disused warehouse building, Porto, Portugal, June 2022Small blue door, Porto, Portugal, June 2022Large green door with ornate stone surround, Porto, Portugal, June 2022Beautiful stone door surround, Porto, Portugal, June 2022
So that’s it for another week, may I wish you a happy weekend, and see you next time.
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors, and you really ought to take a look at the No Facilities blog by Dan Anton who has taken over the hosting of Thursday Doors from Norm 2.0 blog. Links to more doorscursions can be found in the comments section of Dan Anton’s Thursday Doors post.
A little part of me was rather hoping that Porto (or Oporto in Portuguese), meant door, as Porte in French and Porta in Italian do, however it means ‘harbour’. In a way though, I guess that a harbour is a type of doorway into a city/town, so I will run with the analogy because it works for Thursday doors.
At the very start of June my daughter and I went to Porto in the north of Portugal, for a mini-break, and what an amazing city it is. Over the three full days we walked miles and miles up and down steep hills but without a plan, and we were rewarded with making some incredible discoveries. The other thing about not having a plan is that stopping to take photographs of doors is completely legitimate, and my daughter was most accommodating in this respect.
This is the first of several Porto door posts, which I will be sharing over the coming weeks when time permits. Forgive me if I become a bit of a Porto door bore. I hope you enjoy this first selection:
Small church door, Porto, Portugal, June 2022Fish Fish and door below, Porto, Portugal, June 2022Red door on the waterfront, Porto, Portugal, June 2022Not a door, but a very beautiful doorway, Porto, Portugal, June 2022Red panelled door, Porto, Portugal, June 2022Green double door, Porto, Portugal, June 2022
These doors are just a taster of what is to come, and I am very much looking forward to sharing them with you. Have a fabulous weekend wherever you are.
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors, and you really ought to take a look at the No Facilities blog by Dan Anton who has taken over the hosting of Thursday Doors from Norm 2.0 blog. Links to more doorscursions can be found in the comments section of Dan Anton’s Thursday Doors post.
I enjoy enormously seeing street art when I am visiting other parts of the UK or other countries, but I am conflicted when it comes to writing about what I see, because invariably I know nothing about the artists. This magnificent mural by Tamara Alves is a case in point.
Tamara Alves, Porto, Portugal, June 2022
I’m not quite sure what area of Porto we were in when we saw this, but the image is a striking one with a beautiful woman wrapped in an embrace of arms and hands. Tamara Alves is a massively talented artist from Lisbon, and you can read more about her on her very nice website. This was one of several large murals we saw in Porto.
Porto is a city spanning the north and south banks of the River Douro, across which there are six remarkable bridges, each with its own unique design and purpose. Perhaps the most impressive and iconic bridge is the Luis I Bridge, designed by Theophile Seyrig, a student of Gustave Eiffel, which has a lower and upper level. The upper level is now a metro and pedestrian route and offers some of the finest views of Porto from its span. Heading north on the bridge, this impressive mural by Frederico Draw looms large on the left-hand side of the bridge.
Frederico Draw, Porto, Portugal, June 2022
I know nothing of the artist, and a quick Google search took me to his Facebook page which contained little information. As my primary focus is on Bristol street art, I will leave it to the ‘resource investigators’ among you to find out more. The piece itself is a wonderfully blended portrait, making full use of the derelict wall as a backdrop, and is certainly eye-catching from quite some distance. I love the little shrine at the bottom left of the wall too. A cracking piece by a cracking bridge in a cracking city.
Natural adventures 