The amateur concert

The high point in Columbano's artistic career, it was exhibited at the 1882 Salon under the title of Soirée chez lui. In it are portrayed, from left to right, his sister Maria Augusta, the Italian singer Adolfo Greno, Josefa Greno and Artur Loureiro.
A violent contrast of light and dark, magisterially applied, is expressed through shades of black that envelop the clothing in the formless background. The satin of Maria Augusta's skirt, almost metallic in appearance and executed with a virtuosity reminiscent of the lesser Dutch masters, contrasts with the simply sketched outlines. The treatment of the surface light and colour reveal the autonomy of the pictorial image. The entire composition is developed along a broad ellipse defined by the light points of the heads of the figures, the pianist's hand, the dispersed outlines, the skirt and the cachepot.
A distinctive play of light is created by the piano candle, in a way reminiscent of the paintings of Georges de la Tour. In Portugal, the work was critically denigrated but the interest seen here speaks for Columbano's originality, centred on the pure joy of painting.