The Truth (Eça de Queiroz)

Category: Civil Architecture > Memorial

District: Lisboa > Lisboa > Lisboa > Encarnação

Location

The statue "The Truth (Eça de Queiroz)" is located in Largo Barão de Quintela, a serene square situated in the Encarnação area of Lisbon. This location, a discreet corner of the city, provides a calm environment for contemplating the work, away from the crowds, and invites a closer observation of the figure and its meaning.

The Legacy of Eça de Queiroz

This sculptural work is a tribute to the renowned Portuguese writer Eça de Queiroz, one of the greatest names in 19th-century literature. The statue captures the essence of his thought and writing, inviting those who observe it to reflect on the themes that marked his work.

The Sculpture: Truth and Fantasy

The central piece of the statue is an allegorical figure of Truth, presented as a female body. This figure is held in the writer's arms, who observes her with a profound gaze. The composition evokes one of Eça de Queiroz's famous phrases, inscribed at the base of the monument: "Sobre a nudez forte da Verdade o manto diáphano da phantasia." (On the strong nudity of Truth, the diaphanous mantle of fantasy.)

This representation suggests an intimate connection between the objectivity of truth and the subjectivity of fantasy, elements frequently intertwined in Eça's work. It symbolizes, for some, the author's constant quest to reconcile the realism of his time with his natural inclination for the imaginary and the beautiful, translating into a tribute to the beauty and complexity of the feminine universe.

License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt