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U.Porto Memory

University of Porto Famous Alumni

Duarte Gustavo Roboredo e Castro (Tito Roboredo)

Duarte Gustavo Roboredo e Castro (Tito Roboredo) 1934-1980 Painter and university teacher

Duarte Gustavo de Albuquerque Roboredo e Castro was born on 4 June 1934 in the municipality of Mêda.

Five years later, in 1939, he settled with his family in Leça da Palmeira, where Tito sailed with his brothers.

In 1955 he completed his high school education in Póvoa de Varzim and enrolled in the Alvarez Academy to study painting, against the wishes of his family, particularly his father who wanted him to choose a different activity.
In this academy, founded a year earlier by Jaime Isidoro and António Sampaio in 171 Alegria Street, he participated in two annual school exhibitions, namely the 2nd Exhibition of the Alvarez Academy, in 1956, and the 3rd Annual Exhibition of Drawings and Paintings of the Alvarez Academy, in 1958, for which he designed the cover of the exhibition brochure.

EIn the meantime, between April 1956 and October 1957 he did his military service.

At the age of 24 he enrolled in the Porto Higher Institute of Fine Arts, where he attended the General Painting Course (1958-1963), the General Sculpture Course (1960-1962) and the Complementary Painting Course (1965) and had as colleagues De Francesco, Martha Telles, Abel Mendes, António Bronze, António Quadros, Avelino Rocha, Domingos Pinho, Justino Alves, Delfina Cunha, Clara Menéres and Alfredo Queiroz Ribeiro.

In 1959 he participated in the 8th Magna Exhibition of ESBAP with seven projects for the school subject "Introduction to Painting", taught by Júlio Resende and a project for "Introduction to Sculpture", taught by Gustavo Bastos and in the 1st Extracurricular Exhibition held at the National Secretariat of Information, in Lisbon, and at ESBAP, in Porto.

In 1960 he participated in two exhibitions: the 9th Magna Exhibition of ESBAP, as a student of "Painting Technologies – Stained Glass and Mosaic" (a subject supervised by Júlio Resende), with two mosaic compositions, and the 2nd Extracurricular Exhibition.

In 1961 he took part in the 3rd Extracurricular Exhibition and in 1962 in the Itinerant Exhibition of Modern Art - Alvarez Gallery (Machado de Castro Museum, Coimbra) and in the 11th Magna Exhibition of ESBAP, with three projects for "Painting Compositions" and one project for "Painting the Natural World". It was in this last exhibition catalogue that the artist first appeared as Tito Roboredo.

He completed his General Painting Course in 1963, with the final mark of 18 out of 20, and joined the 12th Magna Exhibition of ESBAP. He showed his work in a solo exhibition in the Architecture Hall, was the theme of a portrait painted by Lagoa Henriques, and exhibited his 4th year projects, under the subjects "Painting the Natural World" and "Painting Composition".

The following year he travelled to France and England, married Madalena von Hafe on 12 December 1964, and moved to Francelos, Vila Nova de Gaia.

At ESBAP, he participated in the 13th Magna Exhibition, in the group of final year students of Painting, with two paintings and one lithograph, and in the subjects "Complementary Studies of Painting Composition" and "Painting Technologies".

In 1965, he completed the Complementary Painting Course with full marks, and he was one of the outstanding students in the academic year 1964-65 and one of the participants in the 10th Magna Exhibition of ESBAP. For a short period of time, he taught at the Alexandre Herculano High School, in Porto, and collaborated with the drama group Teatro Experimental do Porto, designing the set for show number 59, staged on 19 April 1965, at the Teatro de Bolso: "O Guiché" [The Booth], by Jean Tardieu, directed by João Guedes. His daughter Ana was born on this same year.

In 1966 he became 2nd Assistant in the 5th Group (Painting) at ESBAP, taught "Statue Drawing" and "Life Drawing" and participated in the 15th Magna Exhibition at ESBAP.
In 1967 he became 2nd Assistant in the 7th Group (Drawing), teaching the same subjects as before, and in 1968 participated in the 16th and last Magna Exhibition at ESBAP.
In 1970, he taught "Introduction to Painting. General Notions". Outside school, he took part in a group exhibition in Divulgação Gallery. His daughter Marta was born on that same year.

In 1971 he sat his Public Examinations for the position of Tenured Professor of the 7th Group. In the first exam, on 26 October, the chosen theme was "Drawing in the work of Le Corbusier"; the second exam, on the following day, consisted of a lecture on the Determinism of trace according to the definition of the form and of its non-existence. On 2 November, his works on Life Drawing and Anatomical Studies were scrutinized. In the end, he was approved with 6 votes in favour and 3 against. He attained the much desired title in December that year.

In 1972 he taught "Statue Drawing" and "Life Drawing" and participated occasionally in activities outside ESBAP, for example for the inauguration of the Abel Salazar Gallery in Matosinhos, and for a plastic art exhibition in Mirandela.

In 1973 he taught "Life Drawing" and "Painting the Natural World", he showed his work at the 1st Exhibition of "Artists from Matosinhos", at the Orfeão de Matosinhos, with Bruno Reis, Irene Vilar, Augusto Gomes and Nelson Dias.

In 1974 he was suspended from teaching – his discharge was decided in August that year. Three years later he was re-admitted, on 4 November 1977, when Júlio Resende was the Head of ESBAP. But for Tito it was too late to enjoy his comeback as he was seriously ill and died on 23 October 1980.

According to Laura Castro, one of his biographers, Tito was a simple, sensitive and discreet man, tolerant but demanding, of fine manners and firm convictions. Meticulous with his work, he was not interested in showing his art and not skilled in selling it. For 25 years the work he produced feature familiar places (the farm where he would made wine with his brothers, the house in Leça da Palmeira, the Alvarez Academy where he worked and Café Magno, where he used to go and which still preserves one of his unfinished works). His art reveals a taste for experimentation and is influenced by symbolic relations and traces of stillness and oddness.

His work is shown in the Machado de Castro Museum, in Coimbra, and is part of private collections in Portugal and abroad.
(Universidade Digital / Gestão de Informação, 2010)