The work of the architect Raul Lino has been studied and known for a long time, having been the subject of several researches especially focused on his architectural projects. This work of his had a special importance and influence in Portuguese architecture, mainly throughout the first half of the 20^th century, as well as in the creation of a national identity in architecture and in other fields of Portuguese culture. Both his work and his influence have not always been seen in a positive manner due to the attributed connection between him and the Estado Novo dictatorial regime and also to a style and taste known as “português sauve” (smooth Portuguese). However, a large part of his work and way of thinking has a truly humanistic character, which was reflected in his varied work, some of which was prior to the Portuguese dictatorial period, which goes far beyond architecture and covers several so-called decorative arts.

The search for beauty, a certain naturalness and truth, and its application to different dimensions of daily life are part of Raul Lino's search, similar to what happened in several European and North American movements contemporaries of him. These comprised a global project that went far beyond traditional arts and extended to many different artistic applications. Raul Lino had special contact with the British and German realities, when he studied there in his youth, between the years 1890 and 1897. At that time, several movements such as Arts and Crafts or Domestic Revival, with different groups of artists and architects like the Century Guild of Artists or the Art Workers Guild (later Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society), in the United Kingdom, or Jugendstill and a few years later Deutscher Werkbund, in Germany, valued humanistic values, nature or a manual, handmade (even if in different ways), as opposed to an industrial development that tended to be dehumanized and indifferent to aesthetics; or to neo-classicist and elitist aesthetics. In particular, Raul Lino's relationship with German professor Albrecht Haupt developed in him a particular taste for nature, history and national characteristics.

The study now presented is part of “Raul Lino - An itinerary through heritage” project, which studies the architectural work of Raul Lino in the Abrantes region. Feeling the possibility of expanding and confirming the contribution of Raul Lino in what were still the beginnings of design, this work is restricted to the theme of the architect's graphic work and, in particular, to his type designs. Particularly with regard to design and graphic arts, fewer studies have been devoted to Raul Lino's work, so this is an area to explore, even if its scope has been smaller than in other fields of his activity. In the graphic area, we consider type design of special interest, which Raul Lino practically always drew by hand. It is curious to note the importance that Raul Lino assigned to calligraphy and letters, to which he devoted much care, whether applied to building facades, book covers, ex libris or even architectural projects. In this article we propose to analyse his graphic work, focusing on the importance of types, their designs and text composition, and its combination with the rest of graphic or architectural elements. We try to understand his influences and the framing of his work in the context of his contemporary artistic movements.

The methodology includes literature review about Raul Lino and written by him, especially the one that makes references to his graphic work. In addition, a field survey was carried out, as well as a documentary and analysis research of printed editions and architectural projects to which we were able to access. The set of these documents can be found in the archives of the Municipality of Abrantes, in the collection of the National Library of Portugal, in the estate of Raul Lino deposited in the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and in some websites. In the field, some João de Deus school gardens were visited where a photographic collection of the buildings' graphic elements was made.

Of the varied expressions in which Raul Lino used letters, we begin by highlighting the work resulting from his relation and involvement with education and publishing. In this context, he carried out several architectural projects for the schools of Associação de Jardins-Escolas João de Deus, which are characteristic for their architecture, tile applications and graphic identification on the facade. Still in education, the collaboration with the poet and author of children's literature, Afonso Lopes Vieira, resulted in several children's books that Raul Lino illustrated and designed the covers – “Animaes Nossos Amigos”, in 1910; “Bartolomeu Marinheiro”; and “O Canto Infantil”, both in 1912, are examples. In the editorial area he also participated in the editions of “Á Borda d’Água”, by Alfredo Guimarães, in 1912; “Pedro o Cru”, by António Patrício, in 1918; and “Alba plena: Vida de Nossa Senhora”, by Augusto Gil, in 1920, among others. For periodical publications he created vignettes and illustrations and designed some headlines, such as the case of the daily newspaper “O Comércio do Porto” (1854-) and the magazine “Atlantida, mensário artístico, literário e social para Portugal e Brazil”, published between 1915 and 1920. Raul Lino also designed types in applications such as postcards, ex-libris or logotypes. We have also analysed Raul Lino’s technical drawings of architectural projects. Here, too, he left his mark regarding typography, in the careful design of the identifying texts of the different parts of the projects or in captions.

Through the compilation of a large part of the graphic work and types designed by Raul Lino, the analysis and systematization of information on this specific area, we contribute to increasing information about this aspect of his work. At the same time, another perspective of the architect's work is provided, which can contribute to a greater understanding of the way Raul Lino saw the integration of all arts, as well as the attention he paid to the varied dimensions of life, the importance that beauty and a humanist vision must have in our daily lives, contributing to the elevation and dignity of the human being, respect for the Other and for nature.

Keywords

Raul Lino, Typeface Design, Typography, Graphic Design, Graphic Arts, Decorative Arts

References

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Atlântida (1915-20). Retrieved from http://ric.slhi.pt/Atlantida/revista.

Blackwell, L. (1993) La tipografia del siglo XX. Barcelona: Editorial GG.

Cunff, F. (org.) & Infante, M. (coord.) (2016) Raul Lino, Arquiteto de Escolas. Lisboa: Direção de Serviços de Documentação e de Arquivo, Secretária de Educação e Ciência.

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Espólio de Raul Lino. Biblioteca de Arte da Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian. Retrieved from https://www.biblartepac.gulbenkian.pt/ipac20/ipac.jsp?profile=ba&menu=search&aspect=basic_search&index=.GW&term=BIBRL

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