Porto President Rui Moreira has demanded the removal of a statue of Camilo Castelo Branco hugging a naked woman located in front of the old Court of Appeal in the undefeated city.
The petition in question, signed by 37 people, highlights the “aesthetic disgust” and “moral disapproval” of what the sculpture represents.
The work of Francisco Simões has been on display since 2012. The naked woman that Camilo embraces has since been associated with Ana Placido, the writer’s great love. The signatories call it “outrage” to belittle and objectify the author in this way.
“The great love of Camilo’s life was Ana Plácido, whose memory does not deserve the insult caused by placing the genius of “Amor de Perdizana” and the soap operas of Miño in a more or less pornographic copy (..) of such a deplorable piece and throwing it away where it is not could damage Camilo’s memory,” can be read in the text of the petition, to which Public had access.
Francisco Simões spoke about the petition and refuted the idea that the woman being represented was Ana Placido.
“The content of the text is regrettable and demonstrates ignorance. I have always said that the woman is symbolic – she represents the woman in the novel ‘Amour Perdisana’. This is not a portrait of Ana Placido and was never intended to be,” he said. artist, whose words are quoted by the same newspaper.
Camilo Castelo Branco and Ana Placido were imprisoned in Rexan prison for a year for adultery. Their love ended in tragedy.