We begin another month of stories. This time, the theme of this feminine journey will be: Great Ceramicists .
There is perhaps no raw material older than clay and this is a profound rescue. I hope these stories feed your souls with this art as it fed mine on this path of research.
To begin, let's delve into the story of Rosa Ramalho, a Portuguese ceramist especially recognized for her fundamental role in elevating Barcelos Figuration to the category of recognized art.
Come with me!
Early Years
She was born Rosa Barbosa Lopes, but became popularly known as Rosa “Ramalho” after hearing so many times from her family “don’t leave here, stay in the shade of the branches!”.
Born in Galegos de São Martinho, in the municipality of Barcelos, into a humble family, Rosa Ramalho never attended school.
She learned to work with clay at a very young age to earn some money. Rosa would go to the house of a neighbor who made figures. Initially, she wove strips of baskets, but later she learned to make figures out of clay, using the earth she had available.
The Wedding
Rosa married at the age of 18. She had eight children, but three died shortly after birth. During the years she was married, almost fifty years, Rosa stopped working as a potter and began to dedicate herself to the same trade as her husband, who was a miller.
It was only after her husband's death in 1956 , at the age of 68, that she began the work for which she became known.
Figurative art
The art of modeling “imagination” quickly became her passion. She then produced figures with dramatic contours, giving life to a unique universe of popular characters, fantastic animals and scenes from rural life.
Her work is marked by a unique style that combines realism with surrealist elements.
Art or Craft?
Her natural ability and creativity made her stand out among the region's artisans, and her works soon began to gain recognition for their originality and expressiveness.
She received support from contemporary artists such as António Quadros and Ernesto de Sousa, in the 1950s and 60s. At that time, there was a movement that promoted the abolition of boundaries between popular and erudite art, dignifying the so-called “naive art”.
The first to sign her works
One of her greatest merits was being the first woman to sign her pieces with “RR”, molded in plaster by her son and designed by the painter Jaime Isidoro for his Figurado de Barcelos pieces, thus breaking with the anonymous tradition of artisanal production.
This bold attitude contributed to the recognition of the work of female ceramicists and the appreciation of Figurative as an individual art form.
Note: Figurado de Barcelos is a Neolithic tradition of working with clay, specific to that city in the north of Portugal, which is distinguished from pottery by its spontaneous, playful and not necessarily utilitarian character.
Legacy
She received the “Arts in the Service of the Nation” medal in 1964 and died in 1977 at the age of 89.
Rosa used to say that without clay she was nothing. And she worked with clay all her life, leaving a legacy of creativity and imagination that inspires many generations to this day.
In light of this story, I leave you with a reflective question about your story: When have your circumstances or your age prevented you from trying something new?