Reading between the seams: Lisbon Metro as a museum, how my year abroad commute has been romanticised

Across my year abroad placement in Lisbon, the underground has been made all the more interesting, not only by the posters and digital graphics we’d usually see in the UK, but also by thematic tiling and designs which spice up my journey.

The placement is all intentional, culminating in a myriad of variations in design which also showcase different artistic styles

The Lisbon metro consists of four lines: blue, red, green and yellow (Azul, Vermelha, Verde and Amarela), and across these lines, there are over fifty stations which make these up. In 1957, Maria Keil began decorating the underground train stations, reviving her passion for the art of azulejos and new ways to use painted tiles. The placement is all intentional, culminating in a myriad of variations in design which also showcase different artistic styles.

I wanted to discuss some of my favourite stations and their meanings as well as part of my commute! A lot of the stations maximise any natural light they could afford, and this makes the metro seem a lot brighter and less confining, whilst also making any colours in the artwork more vivid. Honestly, I advise you to Google any of these, as more because they are truly works of art in and of themselves.

The rogue oranges strewn across the station walls inject the metro with flavour as well as colour

Laranjeiras is a stop on the blue line which I rarely frequent, but whenever I pass it, it’s one of my favourites, because it’s full of vibrant blues, greens and oranges with hyperrealistic orange trees. The rogue oranges strewn across the station walls inject the metro with flavour as well as colour, which fully immerse you in a little escape from the fast-paced urban backdrop.

Oriente is on the red line, and I’m at this station at least once a month, if I’m taking the Flixbus to travel around the country (think London Victoria Coach Station), or more recently when I went to watch Gracie Abrams, or even if I simply just want a coffee and shopping trip. The station unites five globally distanced artists together with the theme of ‘The Ocean’, which celebrates culture, colour and a culmination of varying styles, adding a unique edge to the station. The station is animated and dynamic and in the different styles it celebrates art, colour, and the environment, and as much as it’s easy to get lost in it (it’s huge and long!) it’s a fun adventure to be lost in, all the same.

The station is peppered with bulls in various colourings of marble tile

My commuting line is the yellow line. I’m going from Campo Pequeno to Cidade Universitaria. Campo Pequeno is home to a huge stadium and the heart of the town’s historic bullfighting scene. The station is peppered with bulls in various colourings of marble tile, as well as statues of rural women completing daily tasks who sit and stand on either side of the platforms as you enter the station.

Cidade Universitaria, appropriately at the centre of Lisbon University station, has a lot of classical tiling at the entrance and exit, with a quote by Socrates reading “I am […] but a citizen of the world”. The opposing platforms then have abstractly organised artworks of faces and heads painted across the length of the station, which highlight closeness and community which resonates with university life.

The station features a childhood comfort character, the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland, who is sketched in blue against white tile

On both the yellow and green lines, Campo Grande celebrates the tiling craft and has windows and cut outs across the entire station, and platforms as well as statues which champion the artisanal skill and intricacy of azulejos, and completely encompasses you in a Portuguese cultural touchstone.

Finally, a station I went to almost every week (if not every other day) last semester was Cais do Sodre, which is the final or starting stop on the green line. The station features a childhood comfort character, the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland, who is sketched in blue against white tile, running across the station in tile form, presumably because he’s late. He takes up a huge part of the wall and it’s impressive how detailed and almost raw the drawing looks in the tile, which adds to the quirkiness of the character in one of the busiest stations of the city.

As I said, these are just a few stations (of so many) which features several interesting and versatile art styles, which all platform different messages and commemorate the craftsmanship and technique of azulejos.