Chapter Three

Chapter Three closely examines the azulejos of Avenida Infante Santo, collectively known as the Azulejo Route, focusing on two works: O Mar by Maria Keil and Louvor da Vivacidade by ADD FUEL. Shifting from the expansive underground of the Metro, this chapter turns to a single street in a residential neighborhood of Lisbon, analyzing the azulejo medium, imagery, and urban presence in relation to local and national imagining. These seven works transform Avenida Infante Santo and its surrounding community, using azulejos to construct and reinforce a collective sense of belonging within Lisbon as a city and Portugal as a nation. The chapter will also explore the role of local government in funding public art installations, as well as the systems that preserve them. The Azulejo Route, as the final case study of my thesis, engages directly with images of Portugueseness—through symbols, colors, characters, and history—offering new dimensions of public visual nationalism.