Azulejos: Sharing artistic beauty

Tudor Mihăescu writes (on his Romanian blog) about the joy of discovering and sharing the beauty of azulejo, an art form that Portugal has produced for over five centuries. Beauty often inspires a longing to share it.

Le-am văzut în Portugalia pe clădiri, palate şi biserici. M-au surprins prin răcoroasele nuanţe de albastru, mi-au plăcut în mod special. Când m-am întors în România, cu ocazia unui concurs de scriere pe Wikipedia, am redactat un articol pe acest subiect. Ulterior, în cadrul acestui concurs, am obţinut locul întâi la secţiunea Arte...

I saw them in Portugal on buildings, palaces and churches. I was surprised by their variegated shades of blue, which I particularly liked. On returning to Romania, I wrote an article about this for a Wikipedia writing contest, which won first place in the Arts category. Remembering these azulejos, I recently searched through Google to see them again. Many reproduce scenes of heroism in the history of the old Portuguese empire. Beyond the historical stories documented on them, these painted tiles are known for their astonishing artistic value.