Chequered and cut out panel

Querubim Lapa (b. 1925 – d. 2016) belongs to that generation of artists that was responsible for the modern renewal of artistic ceramics in Portugal. In Lisbon he attended Afonso Domingues Industrial School and António Arroio School, where he became the teacher in charge of the ceramics workshop and also responsible for creating the design discipline. He also trained in sculpture later in painting at the School of Fine Arts in Lisbon (1947-1953). He made his name as a sculptor, painter and ceramicist in the 1950s, a reflection of his multifaceted training. In ceramics he revealed a quite evident technique in the way he used textures, colours and unexpectedly brilliant shades. His in-depth knowledge of the potentialities of ceramics and the keen eye he kept on tradition are eloquently reflected in this item. Integrating a series developed during the early 1990s, in it he revisits the chequered technique, acting as the support of the composition. Zoomorphic figures of the pre-classical mythological civilisations, presenting cut-out elements, stand out from the background with the use of dark green glaze. This tone is repeated in the frieze and the elements cutting out the composition, breaking with the geometric rigidity of the panel.