Political propaganda (1976) by Álvaro CampeãoLisboa Municipal Archive
Álvaro Campeão / Photographer
Between the visual confusion of posters and the urban dispersion of cars and people, we see photographs of a revolutionary pulse that show the desire for change; announcing an intervention in public space as a means of communication.
Many photographers and artists took to the streets to capture images, intervene in street actions by building murals, pasting posters, and taking part in the countless demonstrations calling for the necessary changes to the social order.
The images reveal spontaneous actions without any particular aesthetic criteria as a document of a long-awaited experience.
Political propaganda (1976) by Álvaro CampeãoLisboa Municipal Archive
Society was awakening to a new life, full of freedom. Feelings of joy and fraternity were shared by all those who made this revolution possible.
Revolution of April 25th 1974: people on the streets (1974-04-25) by Ana HatherlyLisboa Municipal Archive
Ana Hatherly (1929-2015) / Artist and visual poet
She used her small format camera (126 mm and 35 mm) to portray the mood of the April 25th Revolution, reflected in various historical moments, proving that she was present and very close to the events.
The Republic affair (1975-05-19) by Ana HatherlyLisboa Municipal Archive
May 1st 1974 (1974-05-01) by Sampaio TeixeiraLisboa Municipal Archive
António Sampaio Teixeira (1911-1998) / Photographer
He highlighted the people amongst the crowd, with the May 1st 1974 being the most attended, especially in the areas of Alameda, Areeiro, and Alvalade, in the city of Lisbon.
The proximity of anonymous and prominent figures from culture, media, and politics proves the contagious enthusiasm of the Revolution. It also beacons a new way, with a speech accessible to all and viewed as a social right.
May 1st 1974 (1974-05-01) by António RafaelLisboa Municipal Archive
António Rafael (1941-2006) / Photographer
The photographer points out strategic moments of this collective movement, in the city of Lisbon, highlighting Workers' Day in 1974 at INATEL’s Parque de Jogos 1º de Maio. He was always close to the demonstrating people and attentive to the political figures involved. The presence of others with cameras clearly shows the involvement in these memories that are now historical documents.
Carlos Gil (1937-2001) / Photojournalist
With his images he becomes an interventionist. He reveals the impact of the colonial war and decolonisation, showing the other side of the Revolution. His humanist vision awakens social awareness of the real problems of the population.
Revolution of April 25th 1974 (1974-04-25) by Jornal Diário de NotíciasLisboa Municipal Archive
Diário de Notícias newspaper (April 25th 1974)
The Lisbon Municipal Archives/Photographic Archive acquired in 1974 a photographic set illustrating the day of the Revolution from the newspaper Diário de Notícias, especially the sites of the military intervention.
Rádio Renascença case (1975-06-18) by José Couto NogueiraLisboa Municipal Archive
José Couto Nogueira (1945) / Photographer
He followed the movements of the Socialist Party and the popular demonstrations of various groups, including the most conservative ones. A very relevant testimony of the democracy that had been won.
Group of writers on the steps of the National Library of Portugal (1975-11-05) by José Couto NogueiraLisboa Municipal Archive
Ernesto de Sousa (1921-1988) / Photographer
A key figure of the post-revolutionary period. Both an agent of intervention and a formulator of the aesthetic concept. Man of countless interests, he managed to reconcile artists with a social and political expression in a "performance" that would mark contemporary Portuguese art.
Protesters (1974-05-01) by Ernesto de SousaLisboa Municipal Archive
Political propaganda wall (1976) by José Neves ÁguasLisboa Municipal Archive
José Neves Águas (1920-1991) / Photographer
With a vast collection of documentary photographs, the author has preserved the memory of these ephemeral artistic events, which covered various areas of the city, now non-existent and only present in the memories of a few people. His photography managed to safeguard these works, which were sometimes contested due to their reactionary wording and the strength of their messages.
São Sebastião da Pedreira crossing (1974-04-25) by Luis PavãoLisboa Municipal Archive
Luís Pavão (born in 1954) / Photographer
Still a young photographer in 1974, he captured peculiar moments and demonstrations that captivated him, following the revolutionary frenzy in the city of Lisbon and elsewhere in the country. He was clearly interested in the labour force demonstrated in Praça do Comércio and on the city's avenues.
Protesters (1974-05-01) by Luis PavãoLisboa Municipal Archive
Political propaganda wall (1993) by Margaret MartinsLisboa Municipal Archive
Margaret Martins (1938-) / Photographer
Recorded the lasting nature of the creative expressions of social intervention, preserved in the murals created jointly by artists and local people. It's a temporal testimony to the remnants of the April Revolution and a praise for the resistance for a life with dignified conditions.
The Revolution led to a convergent cultural manifestation of artists and people, in a collective endeavour. In a fraction of time, the will to act shaped the post-revolutionary period and became its directive.
The Carnation Revolution, as it later became known, made the flower offered by florists on the day the popular symbol of the unity.
COORDINATION
Helena Neves and Isabel Corda
TEXTS AND IMAGE SELECTION
Paula Figueiredo
PRODUCTION
Mariana Caldas de Almeida
REVIEW
Maria José Silva
TRANSLATION
Claudia Tavares
IMAGE EDITING
Bruno Ferro, Claudia Damas
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