"Saudades" is a Portuguese word that has no direct translation in English. It describes a deep emotional state and a melancholic longing for an absent something or someone. It is "a recollection of feelings, places, experiences and events that once brought excitement, pleasure, well-being which now triggers the senses and makes one live again. It brings sad and happy feelings all together, sadness for missing and happiness for having experienced the feeling."
I grew up in the beautiful country of Portugal. It's been over forty years since I left there to come to the United States to live and yet I still find some of my greatest pleasure in painting Portuguese subjects. I suppose you could say I have "saudades".
A window in the quaint Portuguese town of Óbidos.
.jpg) |
"Lace Curtain" 29" x 21" Watercolor |