Origin of St. Luiz Gonzaga College

In between 1937 to 1941, more and more school-aged refugees fled to Macao. Many youngsters of Portuguese descendant from Hong Kong took refuge in Macao during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong. The St. Luiz Gonzaga College was founded under such a setting to provide education for this population of young people.

George Smirnoff had worked as an art teacher in the St. Luiz Gonzaga College to make a stable living. He had designed the invitation card for a collective exhibition (dated 20 to 23 December, 1944) on the works of teachers and students of the College, which is nowadays under the collection of the National Library of Australia. He had worked as theatre director, played in the theatrical production “Big Player” and the stage designs he conceptualized received praises from Portuguese and English newspapers and periodicals. The logo of the Portuguese Catholic newspaper, O Clarim, was also designed by him. George Smirnoff’s art teachings have a far reaching influence over contemporary painters of Macao. The remains of Smirnoff were buried in Hong Kong.