Saudade*

2026

Watermixable oil, cold wax, acrylic, pastel, pencil and watercolour on canvas

60 x 90 cm

Framed in kiaat

SOLD

One of four works in Chapter 3 ('Discovering New Placenames') of Book 1 (Mapping the Inner Landscape) in the ongoing series Wordstrings

*/saʊˈdadə/, noun [U], from Portuguese
A bitter-sweet melancholic yearning for something that no longer or perhaps never did, or will, exist

In contrast to nostalgia, which is concerned only with the past, saudade can be directed towards the past, the present (as when you long for someone you are currently with but will soon lose), or even the future. Also, unlike the often painless wistfulness of nostalgia, saudade is a “sweet wound” — a mix of the pain of absence and the joy of having loved. In his book Portugal (1957), R. Campbell described saudade as “that mysterious melancholy which sighs at the back of every joy”. This feeling is primarily expressed through music, particularly the Portuguese genre Fado.