Columbano Bordalo Pinheiro was a Portuguese painter. He created his paintings in such styles as Realism and Impressionism. His works were compared to Wilhelm Leibl and Thomas Eakins.
Background
Columbano was born in Lisbon, Portugal, on November 21, 1857. He was the fourth son of Manuel Maria Bordalo Pinheiro, a sculptor, painter and engraver, and his wife Maria Augusta do Ó Carvalho Prostes. Columbano was the younger brother of Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro, a great caricaturist.
Education
Columbano Pinheiro started his training at the Academy of Fine Arts in Lisbon (later Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Lisbon) at the age of 14. There he studied drawing and history of art. While at the Academy, he was an apprentice of the Portuguese sculptor Simões de Almeida and also the master Ângelo Lupi.
After having applied twice to study abroad, eventually in 1881 the Countess of Edla, the second wife of D. Fernando, agreed to finance his study in France. There he studied the paintings of French naturalist, realist and impressionist painters, including Courbet, Manet and Degas.
Career
Columbano's paintings were represented in a great exhibition in the famous Salon de Paris in 1882. He exhibited his work Soirée chez Lui, surprisingly highly acclaimed by the Parisian art world.
When he returned to Portugal, Columbano Pinheiro joined the "Grupo do Leão" (The Lion's Group), a group of artists, writers and intellectuals, who intended to renew the aesthetics of the compositions in the local art. The group consisted of Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro, António da Silva Porto, Marques de Oliveira, José Malhoa and others.
The painter produced portraits of some of the greatest personalities of Portugal of his time, such as José Maria de Eça de Queiroz, Raul Brandão, Teófilo Braga. Columbano's most renowned portrait was that of the poet Antero de Quental created in 1889. In addition, he was also a historical painter, and became the author of several works for the Military Museum of Lisbon.
In the year 1901 Columbano Pinheiro was appointed a professor of the history of art at the Academy of Fine Arts in Lisbon (now Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Lisbon). After the Republic proclamation, in 1910 he was commissioned to design the flag of the new regime. Since 1914 Columbano held the post of a director of the National Museum of Contemporary Art, succeeding Carlos Reis. He resigned from the position in 1927.
In addition to his career as an artist, Columbano served as an artistic collaborator of such magazines as António Maria (1879-1885; 1891-1898), People 's Illustration (1884), Atlantida (1915-1920) and Contemporary (1915-1926).
Politics
Columbano was a supporter of the Republican Party.