1. Art. Different artistic periods,
artists and works
2. Popular museums in the country
3. Music
4. Dances
The Spanish art, under the influence of different cultures
during the periods of its creation, has left a thrilling and diverse
heritage. The painters El Greco, Diego Velasquez, Francisko Goya,
the architect Antonio Gaudi and the contemporary artists Pablo
Picasso and Salvador Dali have all made a remarkable contribution
to the development of the art in Spain (and the world as a whole).
Early (Ancient) art forms
The first forms of art created at the
Iberian peninsula were actually cave
paintings. These paintings are located in
the cave of Altamira. They were
drawn during the Upper Paleolithic
period and are among the oldest cave
paintings in Europe.
A Part of the Roman Empire
Many Roman buildings and structures in Spain date back to
this period. The Aqueduct of Segovia, the Tower of Hercules and the
most popular Roman structure- the Alcántara Bridge are all wellpreserved remains of the Roman engineering.
The Muslim Influence
The
Muslim
population,
which
settled on the peninsula
in 711, left a significant
trace on the culture of
future Spain. The “Pisa
Griffin” sculpture dates
back to this period,
while the Cathedral of
Cordoba (today a
catholic
church)
possesses
many
Eastern patterns and
figures.
“Pisa Griffin”
Renaissance and Mannerism
Luis de Morales
“Madonna and Child” and “Pietà”
During the XV century, the Renaissance slowly started
making its way through to the culture of Spain . The influence of the
Italian Renaissance proved to be extremely important for the
progress of art in cities like Valencia. Juan de Juanes, Pedro
Machuca, Juan Correa de Vivar are the names of some of the main
Renaissance artists. A Spanish artist of distinction during the XVI
century was Luis de Morales, called by his contemporaries ”The
Divine”, due to the shocking realism and spirituality in his paintings.
The Golden Age. El Greco and Diego Velázquez
The Golden Age in
Spain (1492-1659) saw a
great development of art in
the
country.
The
predominant style of the
paintings was Baroque, but
the interest of the influential
for Spain Dutch painting in
naturalism
modified
the
typical
Baroque
characteristics. The names
of El Greco (1541–1614)
and
Diego
Velasquez
(1599–1660) are among the
most notable from this
epoch.
El Greco
Diego Velázquez
Golden age. Gallery
“The Holy Trinity”;
“The Maids of Honor”;
“The Opening of The Fifth “Pope Innocent X”;
Seal”;
“Philip IV in Brown
“View of Toledo”
and Silver”
XVII- XVIII century. Bartolomé Murillo and Francisco Goya
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, who was the lead painter in his
hometown Seville, was one of the most outstanding representatives
of the Baroque painting during XVII century. Francisco José de Goya
y Lucientes (or just Francisco Goya) on the other hand was a
Spanish romantic painter, printmaker and a court painter to the
Spanish Crown. He is regarded both as the last of the Old Masters
and the first of the moderns. His works are many-sided and include a
wide variety of themes.
“Charles IV of Spain and His
“The Little Fruit Seller”, Murillo
Family”, Goya
“The Third of May 1808”,
Goya
The beginning of 20th century. Cubism and Surrealism
During the first half of 20th Century many leading Spanish
artists were working in France, where they were helping develop the
Modernist art movement. Pablo Picasso, working with the famous French
artist Georges Braque, created the concepts of the art movement called
Cubism. In a similar way Salvador Dali and Joan Miro- two well-known
names in the world of contemporary art, have also helped formulate the
concept of Surrealism and abstract art.
The Art of 20th century. Gallery
“The Farm”,
Miro
“Guernica”,
Picasso
“The Persistence of
Memory”, Dali
“Homage
to
Newton”,
Dali
“Three Musicians”, Picasso
“Museo del Prado”
“Museo del Prado” is the main
Spanish national art museum, located in the
capital city- Madrid. It is the biggest museum
in Spain and is one of the biggest and most
significant in the world. In the museum’s
collection includes the works of the European
artists from 16th to 19th century. The presence
of the native Velasquez, El Greco and Goya,
as well as the foreign Poussin, Rubens and
Rembrandt is vast. The museum also houses
a copy of Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa”.
As a whole, “The Prado” has:
•950 sculptures;
•64000 drawings/paintings;
•2400 stamps;
•more than 900 coins and 800 medals.
Guggenheim Museum and Reina Sofia
Following
the
national
museum “The Prado”, “Guggenheim
Museum” in Bilbao and “Museo
Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía”
in the capital Madrid are two of the
most popular art museums with the
tourists . “Guggenheim”, which was
opened in 1997 by the King of Spain,
is a museum of modern and
contemporary art. Its most popular
collection includes over 300 paintings
of 20th century- from Cubism to New
Media Art. The one-of-a-kind building
of the museum also looks like a giant
sculpture. “Reina Sofia” is a museum
which also presents contemporary art
from 20th century . The museum in
Madrid also possesses Picasso’s
masterpiece- “Guernica”.
The music in Spain is extremely diverse and has different characteristics in the
different regions of the country. In Andalusia, the southern part of Spain, flamenco
(a musical and dance genre) predominates, while, in contrast, the music of the
north-western part of Spain is centred on the use of bagpipes. Spain plays a very
important role in the development of classical music between 15th-17th century.
The classic guitar
originates from Andalusia,
Spain
Contemporary music in Spain
The
Spanish
contemporary music has
evolved in many new
ideas and genres- pop,
blues, rock, punk rock,
ska, reggae, hip-hop.
The musicians Julio
Iglesias, Enrique Iglesias
and Alejandro Sanz have
become world famous
artists, selling millions of
copies of their albums.
Alongside music and entertainment, Spanish people
honor dancing. Among the numerous Spanish dances, the
most widespread and popular dances are fandango, bolero,
zambra (specific type of flamenco) and of course- flamenco
itself. The “flamenco” consists of three elements- song,
usually a guitar accompaniment and dance. The dancing in
flamenco Is extremely colorful, because it combines
elements from the Andalusian, Oriental, African, Egyptian
and other cultures. One of the most famous choreogrephers
and flamenco dancers is Antonio Gades.