Between silence and vision: António DaCosta and the sense of belonging in painting

«António Dacosta, called by Vitorino Nemésio the European Painter of the Islands, embodied both the solitude and universality of Azorean identity. From the narrow streets of Angra do Heroísmo to the ateliers of Lisbon and Paris, his art traveled with him, carrying volcanic landscapes, the cult of the Holy Spirit, and the dreams of a people suspended between departure and return. His paintings are not only images, but windows into memory, longing, and the fragile courage of belonging.

In this groundbreaking essay, Assunção Melo — historian, curator, and lecturer — presents a profound rereading of Dacosta’s work. With meticulous research and a lyrical eye, she uncovers the painter’s negotiations between surrealism and silence, exile and return, darkness and revelation. This English edition brings the Azorean painter to new audiences, inviting readers to rediscover the luminous threads of art and identity woven across the Atlantic.»

Sinopse: Wook