Local Author’s Latest Book Chronicles Portugal’s Culture, Allure and Artists

“Patterns of Portugal” Copyright © 2023 by Christine ChitnIs. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.

“Patterns of Portugal” Copyright © 2023 by Christine ChitnIs. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.

The focus of Providence-based writer and photographer Christine Chitnis’ work comes down to understanding the people and history of the visual world.

“I love finding stories that are connected to artisanship, history and culture, and how they all weave together,” says Chitnis, whose new book, Patterns of Portugal, does just that. With more than 200 photographs and ten essays, the book dives into the culture of Portugal, exploring its historic roots, rich landscape and the artists who live there.     

Chitnis, a self-described “textile enthusiast,” is most interested in talking with people who keep alive artistic methods that are otherwise dwindling in the modern world. One such artist she met in Portugal, Antonio Mestre, throws six-and-a-half-foot terra cotta pots on a kick wheel — a rare, labor-intensive technique in an age of electric wheels.

Even in Rhode Island, Chitnis’ home for the past fifteen years, her work focuses on the timeless practices of artists and farmers. Of all the travel stories she has written — twenty to thirty features just last year, she estimates — she said her career highlight was writing The New York Times Sunday Travel section cover story about Rhode Island this past fall.

“Patterns of Portugal” Copyright © 2023 by Christine ChitnIs. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.

Similar to her previous book, Patterns of India, published in 2020, Patterns of Portugal is split into chapters of color — “Azul,” “Sun Bleached,” “Bougainvillea,” “Terra-Cotta” and “Verde.” The essays delve into the meaning behind the country’s beauty, including azulejos, the ubiquitous ceramic architectural tiles, and the intricately embroidered details of traditional costumes in the annual pilgrimage and festival of Our Lady of Sorrow.

“That, to me, made the book,” Chitnis says of the festival, something she hadn’t known about when she began the Portugal project, but learned while traveling there.

“A lot of my itineraries were informed by the people I met, which allowed for spontaneity,” says Chitnis, who visited the country at least four times during the three years she worked on the book. Due to its small size and warm and welcoming people, Chitnis says, “Portugal is a very approachable country.”