The affirmation of modernist values in photography is one of the features that distinguish Silva Nogueira’s work from the 1920s and 1930s, as the 26 photographic portraits in this exhibition prove. Through this set of images we can explore the dimensions of a quadruple modernity.
Firstly, we witness the profound aesthetic change of portraiture, incorporating novelties from cinema, such as close-up or light effects. Secondly, we perceive the transformation that took place in national theatre, both in repertoire theater and in Revista à Portuguesa, with a marked cosmopolitan influence, especially in the visual dimension. Thirdly, we witnessed the wide dissemination of these images in the new illustrated magazines, managing to make the new taste reach broad fringes of the public.
Finally, these images reveal an emancipation and empowerment of women with an unusual role on stage, assuming their own body as a modern aesthetic, with a performative dimension.
Source: https://agendalx.pt/events/event/corpos-modernos-do-palco/