Mulheres na Lota [Women at the Fish Market]

In «Mulheres na Lota», Pomar depicts a group of women waiting for the boats to arrive at the fish market in Nazaré. Arranged in three levels and forming a horizontal band, thirteen figures make up a female group, a collective. The oval faces contrast with the austerity of the remaining straight lines. In the background, with its golden tones that contrast with the bluish-black of the garments, there is something Byzantine, something iconic.

The faces oscillate between simplification-resembling masks that evoke the lessons of the early avant-gardes-and the taste for detail to which Pomar yields in the figures in the foreground. The focus of attention, guided by the brighter colours, falls on the faces and hands, emphasizing the formal aesthetic program of Neo-Realism: the face as a mirror of emotions and the hands as instruments of labour. The hieratic postures reinforce the dignity of the figures.

This is not merely a representation of the feminine, but of women’s labour within the specific context of maritime work. The painting is dark and refers to a harsh reality to which Pomar’s painting gives visibility.