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Biography Born Setúbal-Portugal, 12-2-1922. From 1946 to 1950 worked in Lisbon as an advertising artist, collaborating in magazines and newspapers as "Gazeta do Sul" and "O Mundo Ri". In 1950 went to Angola, working in advertising, scenery and for the newspapers " O Intransigente "and " Jornal de Benguela ". In 1954 made his first exhibition in Nova Lisboa(Huambo )and in the following years, several one-man and collective exhibitions in the main towns of Angola. He emigrate to Cape Town, South África in 1964, where he works in advertising at Leonard Lilenstein during 4 years and 20 years at Bernstein Kennedy, later Bates International (a branch of the american agency Tad Bates ). In 1964 made one-man exhibition at " Rodin Gallery " In Cape Town and until 1988, several collectives in this same town. He come back to Portugal in 1988 and until 2002, had done 32 one-man exhibitions and 114 collectives in the main towns of Portugal. João José is well known by his series " In the Enne's Planet ", " O Crucified ", " The blue fruit's tree ", " The Iniciated ", " Spring ", " With a Lily " and " 3 D ". The " O Crucified " a work of good size, fully painted in South África from 1967 to 1988 (21 years)and brought intact and umpublished to Portugal is, maybe, the large private collection of modern religious art (with more than 120 paintings )in Portugal. The small works are from 1, 15 x 0, 85 m. and the large 1, 64 x 2, 20m.. João José is also, the more representative painter, stil alive, of the Angolan's painting in the years 50/60. He has several prizes in painting, the most recent, the gold medal for oil painting in the 24 th S.I.A.E.A. of 1994-Ciney, (Belgic ). In Angola João José fall in love with the rich Angolan’s ethnography. In spite of almost non-existence of roads, from 1950 to 1954, he had already travelled more than half of Angola. Practically all the coast-line from Luanda to Santo António do Zaire and from Porto Amboim to Porto Alexandre. He went to Cabinda crossing the Congo’s river by raft from Noqui to Matadi (at these time Belgian´s Congo ). Always by car, went also to the east part of Belgian’s Congo, through Teixeira de Sousa to Dilolo. To the south, went to Southwest Africa (now Namibia ), crossing Namacunde till Tzumeb and visiting the magnificent Etosha-pan.Only didn’t go to the enormous diamonds area because, a permit was refused to João José, also to some deserted places, chiefly in the coast-line. Inevitably he was once lost into Namibia’s desert… These short explanation is only to report that João José’s first exhibition in 1954 in Nova Lisbon (where between others, one painting was sold to the Huambo’s Bishopric and 3 to the future museum of Nova Lisbon)was only about Angolan’s ethnography, as was all the other exhibitions in Angola and the first in South Àfrica as well. João José still got about a half dozen of oil paintings from these time and half hundred of water colours and gouaches.Some of this works are dated from 1950, (52 years old…). At the beginning in South África,
João José needs to concentrate on his advertising job, but in 1966 in order to break
monotony, he opened his own studio and in 1967 started painting the series " The Crucified ". It starts with
Eve, Moses, Mary and Joseph, The child Jesus, The preaching, Baptism, Juda's These series with about 120 canvas, painted from 1967 to 1988 (21 years )never was exhibited in South Àfrica and is now in Portugal. The other series are; " The Enne's Planet ", It is all about the discovering by man of a planet where life is possible therefore, he put there some animals as an experiment... Still exists " First Step " a walk in the Moon; one magnificent and astounding hippopotamus with 1, 00x1, 60 and one incredible space warrior. In London exists a painting with zebras trotting in a twilight made by one unknown planet. "The Initiated " is a series based in the mystic ideia that between mankind exists some " Initiates " which know whom they are, where they come from and where they are going...The "Initiated" got great power and are fantastically kind, so the human race hopes that there will be at least "one initiated" in every country. It is not only beautiful but also, put us thinking... " The blue fruit's tree" is the continuity of João José's mysticism and a demonstration of his pictorial ability. " Spring " is a hymn to happiness. In each painting is a woman with flowers, lots of them but, if you look better, you can find even more flowers. "De Lirio" shows a naked woman with a lily. There are no eroticism in João José's nudes. With so much wisdom in the conjugation of drawing and colours, the appreciater only can see beauty. (Delirium ) is only a title because in portuguese, " lily " is called " lírio. The series “ 3 D “ is an acronym for “ Damas, Donas e Donzelas “ meaning =" Matron, Mrs. and Miss " Usually depicting 3 generations in the nude.or (near nude) in a family's environment or attitude.
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