The Stronghold 1907 - 1917

Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso created this painted ‘The Stronghold’ out of what looks like a real mix of ideas. What strikes me is how he builds up this architecture in a way that feels intuitive, almost like doodling in paint. The colors are muted, leaning towards cool blues and greens, which gives the whole scene a dreamlike quality. There's a textured layering happening; the paint isn't trying to hide itself, you can see the movement of the brush, decisions being made and revised. Look at the archways in the lower part of the painting. The way they are slightly misaligned, gives this fortress a kind of playful vulnerability. It makes me think a bit of Giorgio de Chirico, not so much in style, but in the way both artists create these enigmatic spaces that feel both familiar and utterly strange. Ultimately, it's this embracing of ambiguity that makes the painting so compelling. It invites you to bring your own stories to the table, and that's what makes art an ongoing conversation.