Alfama Rooftops, Lisbon, Portugal
"Alfama Rooftops, Lisbon, Portugal"" Painting by Gary Smith

Alfama Rooftops, Lisbon, Portugal

December 2020   •   Oil on Board   •   8" x 10"

This is a painting of buildings and rooftops in the Alfama area of Lisbon, Portugal. The complementary palette of vibrant orange roof tiles set against a deep blue sky was one of the first things I noticed when we visited Lisbon in 2017, and these colours have come to symbolize the city for me.

In early 2020, on our last trip before the pandemic struck, we passed through Lisbon again on a layover on our way to Greece. That's when I took the photo this painting is based on, capturing the back of the Igreja de São Miguel church leaping out of the long January afternoon shadows.