Joaquim Pancho - contemporary painter

Joaquim Pancho was born in Angola in 1970, in the city of Luanda, and came to Portugal with his parents at the age of 5 due to the civil war in that country.

They settled in Grândola, Alentejo, for 10 years, where his parents ran a restaurant in partnership with an uncle. He spent much of his childhood there, completing his primary and secondary education.

During this time, he developed an interest in drawing, beginning by copying small illustrations from comic books and later sketching practically everything he saw, a result of his regular walks through the mountains and valleys of the Alentejo region.

After this time, his parents moved to Aveiro, where he completed the 12th grade and joined the Portuguese Air Force as a volunteer for four years. After that, he decided to apply for the Public Security Police Officer training course in 1995, completing 30 years of active service in that security force.

It was also in Aveiro that he deepened his knowledge of watercolor and oil by receiving lessons at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, which contributed to his curiosity and interest in these two distinct techniques.

However, being self-taught, much of his knowledge comes from researching books and videos, as well as visiting art museums and exhibitions, where he exchanges ideas with other artists, aiming to further deepen his knowledge.

All of his paintings are inspired by 19th-century Impressionism, drawing on the work of Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Alfred Sisley, Renoir, and other masters of that artistic movement. He also dabbled in animal painting and physiognomy, still lifes, and sometimes figurative painting, especially in oil.

As for watercolor, he draws inspiration from the work of watercolorists such as Joseph Zbukvic (master of masters), Alvaro Castagnet, Herman Pekel, and Amanda Hyatt.

He currently lives in Bicesse, in the municipality of Alcabideche, with his wife and children, where he works in his studio whenever he has the opportunity, using oils and watercolors, and also creating small commissions for charcoal and oil portraits.

He paints what he sees and what he feels, constantly seeking to capture the beauty, light, and harmony of the landscape.

In 2023, his work was featured in ART4ANY magazine No. 16, September 2023 issue, with illustrations of some of his works.

Thus, he invites all visitors to familiarize themselves with the places that capture our admiration for their beauty and diversity, embarking on a journey through color and light, awakening our deepest emotions and sensibilities.