Manuel Pinheiro Chagas (1842-1895) was a politician, journalist, historian, translator, dramaturge and novelist.
In 1908, the journal Mala da Europa proposed a monument in memory of this almost-forgotten figure in Avenida da Liberdade, Lisbon.
By the hand of Costa Motta (uncle), Chagas’ bronze bust sits at the top of a pillar adorned with a wreath.
A female figure likewise of bronze stands at ground level, representing the main character Leonor from his popular play - A Morgadinha de Val-Flor (Heiress of Val-Flor).
A Morgadinha de Val-Flor (Heiress of Val-Flor) is a five-act drama concerning the romance between the high-status noblewoman of Val-Flor named Leonor, and the humble lower-status painter Luis.
In summary, they fall in love but soon realise the impossibility of the union due to their starkly different social classes.
The work is categorised as ultra-romantic, accentuating the ideals of Romanticism such as subjectivity and aggrandizement of emotion.
Notably, his popularity as a novelist was evident after a literary plebiscite promoted in 1884 by the journal O Imparcial de Coimbra, which placed Pinheiro Chagas as the 2º most notable Portuguese writer at the time.
Pinheiro Chagas was also successful as a politician. After many political positions, in 1892 he was attributed Peer of the Realm (Par do Reino), the highest aristocratic status outside the ruling dynasty elected by the king.
However, there was no short of opposition to his political views and his art style. Politically, this was evidenced by a physical attack he suffered on his way out of Parliament in 1888 by an anarcho-communist named Manuel Pinto.
In the domain of art, a long-lasting controversy between the established style of Romanticism and the emergent style of Realism. This clash was named the Questão coimbrã (Coimbra question), which eventually led to his popular discredit.
In contrast to the idealized vision of nature and intense emotionality of Romanticism, which was Pinheiro Chagas' perception of what art was supposed to be, Realists such as Eça de Queiroz, another prominent Portuguese writer, saw artistic works as rather important opportunities for criticising society and a platform for social change. In this manner, Realism greatly opposed Romanticism.
During this conflict, Eça de Queiroz heavily caricatured Pinheiro Chagas, referring to him as 'Brigadier Chagas from the time of Maria I', 'fatal man', and 'archaeological curiosity' with 'ultra-romantic patriotism'.
Over time, such conflict resulted in general scorn towards Pinheiro Chagas, resulting in his distorted image in the public eye.
Nevertheless, supporters managed to propose a monument to a person who left us great works of art but was unfortunately denigrated due to the changing artistic current of the time, almost turning him into a completely forgotten figure.
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