Monforte, Portugal

touro branco originated in eastern Portugal, on a winery near Monforte in the Alentejo region. In the foreground is a very early Porsche 911, in the background a 1960s Fiat 124 Familiale - shortly after its arrival in the late afternoon after a long day's drive. The Porsche seems to greet its bourgeois friend and invite him for a well-deserved rest. The Fiat is still awkwardly parked in the driveway, perhaps unsure of where its place will be.

However, the Portuguese viewer among us might also sense a certain tension between the two, similar to a bullfight, created by the confrontational encounter of two rivals looking at each other eye to eye. It seems as if the white bull - o Touro branco - has just entered the arena through the gate, now assessing the situation, horns raised to the sky, catching sight of the bullfighter's red cape, ready to take up the fight. The surrounding buildings, graphically very reduced, suggest an arena-like courtyard, and the sandy ground reinforces the impression. The fight can begin. It will not, however, end in bloodshed: in Portuguese bullfighting, the bull is provoked and annoyed, but not killed.