João, Ana and Mónica with the Pope John Paul II
in the Vatican on January 3,1991
Throughout his life Joćo D. Filipe has always
been intrigued and involved with art. Descendent of craftsmen he was born,
February 27, 1959, in a medieval town in Portugal; surrounded by historical
cities such as Tomar, Coimbra, and Castelo Branco, treasures of Roman, Gothic,
and Baroque culture. From the mountains he moved with his family to the seaside
near Lisbon.
There, at the age of 10 , one day his mother (an embroideress,
for sixty years) presented Joćo to a young Spanish artist named Kiko
Arguello. An impressive and inspired encounter.
In 1973 (the year Picasso died) Joćo set up an atelier of
painting willing to be an artist for his whole life. Later on, he began to study the misterious art of the byzantine icons in private studios, with artists from
Portugal, Spain, and Italy; at the same time studying law at the Universidade de
Lisboa (Lisbon University).
While working in the port of Lisbon, Joćo
was also self-employed as a painter, photographer and graphic artist, prior to his
coming to United States.
On January 3th, 1991, Joćo and his family were
personally commissioned, along with other families of the Neocathecumenal Way,
by Pope John Paul II in the Vatican. They were sent to America, as a
lay missionary family, for the New Evangelization.
With their call as a
family in mission ever present, beginning in the Lituanian Parish in Newark, the Filipes set up a studio of painting -icons in the Byzanthine classic style, Paschal candles and restorations- in
different locations, in Newark and West New York, New Jersey.
He traveled looking for the art of Portugal,Spain, France, Italy, Germany,Poland, England, Holland, Dominican Republic, Brazil,Israel,Palestine,Switzerland etc.
News and
interviews of the family have appeared on local newspapers and on television,
channel 9 UPN (New York area) on October 1 and 2 of 1992. Also a coverage of the
life in mission was made by a Portuguese television station,SIC., on August
19th, 1997.
Joćo,with his wife Ana, and their children,Joana,
Madalena, Mariana, Mónica, Thomas and Sophia
then moved to Houston,Texas where Martin was born (5/26/2000). There, living among the ranches and refineries, Baroque music was
heard, again, from within Atelier Filippe.
