Lens-Artists Challenge #386: The Power of Juxtaposition
Portugal is a place where time doesn’t move in a straight line; it stacks and juxtaposes. In the streets of Lisbon and along the Tagus’s riverbanks, the 16th century doesn’t just haunt the 21st—it lives right next door. So, when Patti invited us “to explore juxtaposition as a
photographic technique,” I knew right away I was going to focus on Lisbon. Be sure to read Patti’s post to see her wonderful examples. You’ll be inspired to join the challenge.
I opened with the São Jorge Castle. Lisbon is a vertical city. At the very top, the São Jorge Castle remains a stoic, silent observer of the centuries. Below its medieval walls, the city breathes and grows in a chaotic sprawl of terracotta roofs and modern apartments. It’s like a juxtaposition of the “Crown” looking down upon the “Commons,” a hierarchy of stone and life. Here are five additional images that juxtapose a nation that refuses to leave its history behind while racing toward the future.
In the Restauradores Square, the timeline is split down the middle. To the right sits the Palácio Foz, with its 18th-century Baroque elegance. To the left, the Eden Teatro rises like a limestone cliff of Art Deco geometry. It is a direct confrontation: the soft curves of the monarchy versus the sharp, industrial ambitions of the 1930s. The Eden Theatre is now a hotel. Only its façade is original.
Nowhere is the commercialization of history more apparent than at the old Condes Cinema. Look past the neon “Hard Rock Cafe” sign, and you’ll see the “Muses of the Seventh Art” still dancing in stone. This image captures the transition of a cultural temple into a global brand—a monument to the way we consume art today versus a century ago. You see the juxtaposition of a neon sign with the detailed bas-relief sculptures of figures in movement.
The Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument to the Discoveries) was built to evoke the prow of a 15th-century ship, frozen in stone. But as the stone explorers gaze out toward the Tagus River, they are framed by the 25 de Abril Bridge. It is a meeting of two different “greatest hits” of Portuguese engineering: the wooden caravel that conquered the seas and the steel suspension that conquered the Tagus.
The Belém Tower was once a lonely, formidable fortress designed to defend the city from naval invasion. It was also the starting point where Portuguese navigators set out to conquer other lands. Today, instead of caravels, there are fiberglass sailboats and tourists in rubber dinghies. Seeing this 16th-century sentinel surrounded by the colorful, lightweight crafts of modern leisure highlights how our relationship with the water has shifted from survival to play. Since 1983, the tower has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
This last photo is not in Lisbon. This is Porto showing its city pulse. Just like in Lisbon, these vintage wooden trams aren’t just for show; they are the city’s working nervous system. A modern cyclist, a number of cars, and a motorcyclist zip past them. The juxtaposition is literal. Portugal moves at two speeds: the steady, clacking rhythm of the past and the silent, rapid acceleration of the present.
Last week, we saw wonderful creativity in the photos you shared for Ritva’s challenge about unusual crops. I hope you will join this week’s challenge, too. Please don’t forget to use the “lens-artists” hashtag in your posts to help people find your wonderful challenge entries.
Next week, John will close out February with a new challenge. It will go live at noon EST in the USA. Tune in to find out more about the challenge then. Please see this page for more information about the Lens-Artists Challenge and its history. If you don’t want to miss any future challenges, please consider subscribing to the team members’ websites. Here they are:
- Tina of Travels and Trifles.
- Patti of P.A. Moed.
- Ann-Christine of Leya.
- John of Journeys with Johnbo.
- Anne of Slow Shutter Speed.
- Sofia of Photographias.
- Egídio of Through Brazilian Eyes.
- Ritva of Ritva Sillanmäki Photography.
- Beth of Wandering Dawgs.
That is the story behind the shots. If you liked this post, you may also be interested in others featuring Belém Tower, Cityscapes, Lens-Artists, Lisboa, Lisbon, Monochrome, Monument to the Discoveries, Padrão dos Descobrimentos, Porto, Portugal, São Jorge Castle, Tagus River, UNESCO World Heritage. Until the next time, keep clicking and capturing the beauty your eyes find.
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Tra Italia e Finlandia
Che bellezza Lisbona e che bellezza le tue foto!
Egidio Leitao
Grazie, Luisella. Adoriamo il Portogallo.
Leya
Wonderful gallery, Egídio. I love your images of past and present, and in Portugal and Lisbon they give a perfect show.
Wishing you a lovely stay in Big Bend Ranch State Park, I have seen some on Instagram (or fb?)
Egidio Leitao
You’re very kind, Ann-Christine. Thank you. My stay in Big Bend Ranch was wonderful. I’ve been posting some shots on FB.
Rebecca Cuningham
I visited The Padrão dos Descobrimentos in 1987 on a trip with my classmates from Toledo to Lisbon. I found the monument inspiring. Great photo depicting the artwork.
Egidio Leitao
Thank you, Rebecca. It’s an impressive monument.
Rebecca Cuningham
Yes, it was a beautiful moment of solidarity among the students from the Americas from our program at the monument, when we met there unexpectedly on our free afternoon.
Steve Schwartzman
On August 6, 1966, I was on the Ponte 25 de Abril (then called the Ponte Salazar) when it opened to the public. The opening resulted in a massive traffic jam, and New Yorker that I still was, I remember sitting there and thinking of what the Lisbon police needed to do to get traffic moving again.
restlessjo
This is a beautiful and evocative piece of writing, as well as having superb photos, Egidio. My favourite shot is the Belém Tower. I never saw it portrayed more beautifully xx
Egidio Leitao
Jo, your feedback was the best thing to start my day on the right foot. Thanks for your kind words. xx
Ritva Sillanmäki Photography
Wonderful gallery, Egídio. I love how your images let past and present meet, Portugal shows them of well.
Wishing you a fantastic stay in Big Bend Ranch State Park, it sounds like you are about to have some fun,
Egidio Leitao
Thanks for the compliment and wishes for my stay at Big Bend Ranch SP. It’s been lots of fun.
I. J. Khanewala
Lisbon is definitely beautiful. I missed the world’s only Art Deco Hard Rock Cafe. Thank you for giving me another reason to go back
Egidio Leitao
I.J., I’m glad the photo caused that reaction. We spent a month in Portugal, and we also want to go back.
margaret21
This is a clever post – and an interesting travelogue too!
Egidio Leitao
Thank you, Margaret. I had not thought of it being a travelogue, but it works.
klh048
Thanks so much for these images. Now I want to go to Portugal. The old and new seem to blend together quite well.
Egidio Leitao
Kenneth, we spent a month there and want to go back. It’s a very friendly and beautiful country.
mickmccann24175
Thanks for taking me to Lisbon, a city that I always wanted to visit. Only been to the far north of Portugal. Great pics! Enjoy your time in Big Bend….
Egidio Leitao
Thanks for the feedback. We spent a month in Portugal and traveled all over that friendly and beautiful country.
Tranature - quiet moments in nature
A beautiful response to the challenge Egídio and wishing you a wonderful time in Big Bend Ranch State Park too 😊
Egidio Leitao
Thank you so much, Xenia.
Sofia Alves
My heart is tight with saudades for my city, I think it’s wonderful you thought of it when I didn’t! I am old enough to have been to the Eden when it was a cinema, it was gorgeous inside, the staircase an Art Deco wonder. It broke my heart when they did that to it, as to the Condes, just across the square. Favourite this week is the one from Porto, nicely spotted, Egídio.
Egidio Leitao
Thank you, Sofia. Lisbon and Porto were our favorite cities when we visited Portugal a few years ago. What a thrill it must be to have visited the Eden when it was still a movie house.
Sofia Alves
The days when we had three movie theatres in close proximity… 🙁
Anita
Wonderful gallery, Egídio. I love how your images let past and present meet, and the craftsmanship of the old architecture never stops impressing me.
Wishing you a fantastic stay in Big Bend Ranch State Park, it sounds like quite an adventure.
Egidio Leitao
Thank you, Anita. The weather is going to be nice out there. We might even see some wildflowers already. I’ll have to ask the ranger the best trails for that.
Paul
Nice gallery. The Condes Cinema particularly resonates with me. During my travels to Europe it bothers me to see a Starbucks or McDonalds sign visually blaring on a 15th century building. Pollution.
Egidio Leitao
I agree about that signage, too. Thanks for your feedback.
Pamela Zmija Photography
Egidio, great collection for this challenge! My favourite is the bridge one!
Egidio Leitao
Thanks so much, Pam.
Vicki
The old and the new buildings of Lisbon certainly provide the perfect examples of the extraordinary architecture in the city. Great photos, Egidio.
Egidio Leitao
Vicki, I am happy you liked these shots. Thank you.
Pepper
Beautiful images for the challenge. 😊
Egidio Leitao
Thank you so much, Pepper.
Wandering Dawgs
Egidio, you have shown us how the old and the new come together in Lisbon with these beautiful images.
Egidio Leitao
I love Lisbon and all of Portugal. This challenge gave me a good opportunity to show a little about Lisbon. Thanks, Beth.
Tina Schell
Wonderful from start to finish Egidio! I loved every example which drew such marvelous comparisons between past and present. Every image was a perfect illustration of the concept, and taken individually each is a terrific image. Well done!
Egidio Leitao
Thank you very much, Tina.
PR
Superb shots, Egidio! Your post makes me long to revisit Lisbon, at least once more..
Egidio Leitao
PR, I got the same feeling as I was preparing the post. Thanks.
pattimoed
Great choices for the challenge, Egidio. Beautiful images of the wonderful juxtaposition of the past and the present. Architecture is a great choice. So is that wonderful wooden tram in Porto, I love the Monument to the Discoveries, too. Let me know when you come to Portugal again. We’re there a lot. 🙂 🙂
Egidio Leitao
Thank you for this great theme and your feedback. You can be assured I’ll let you know if we go back to Portugal or Italy.
Anne Sandler
Egidio, thank you for the beautiful tour of Lisbon’s past and its present use. I love that historical buildings are given a second use.
Egidio Leitao
Anne, that is something really nice about Lisbon. The building restorations and reuses are well done. Thanks for writing.
marina
Marvelous captures!
Egidio Leitao
Thank you so much, Marina.