Art in spain
The art in Spain goes back to the primitive artistic contributions of the prehistoric peoples that inhabited the Hispanic peninsula (Altamira) as well as their archaeological remains in protohistory such as grave goods: vessels, necklaces, diadems, etc. And their funerary tombs, like the tholos of the Bronze Age, like other types of burials in turriform monuments, in vessels or sculptures by the hands of the Iberians. The Phoenician-Punic, Greek, Roman influence and finally the arrival of the Germanic peoples, mainly the Visigoths and some Byzantine influence in the Levant, would determine, along with European Christianity, Spanish art during the Middle Ages and up to the present day.
In early Spain, that is, Hispania, the orientalizing (influencing the Tartessians and Iberians) and northern (influencing the Celtic population of the north) cultural richness were two determining factors for the enrichment of peninsular art. The Phoenician and Punic people, with the arrival of the Greeks later, would endow a notable influence for the Iberians later on.
Its cultural richness would reach its peak in the Spanish Golden Age (mid-16th to mid-17th centuries), highlighting figures in painting such as Diego Velázquez, El Greco, in literature; Francisco de Quevedo, Gongora, etc. This cultural wealth that overflows in its paintings, sculptures and buildings... as well as squares and streets in Spanish cities, is undoubtedly the result of the symbiosis of Christian Spain (heir to the Visigothic) and Islamic Spain, which has endowed of great artistic wealth for centuries to come.
Prehistoric art
-Museo_Arqueol%C3%B3gico_Nacional.jpg)
French Cantabrian art
In 1872 Spanish Paleolithic art was discovered, with the paintings found in the Altamira cave, and later in other places in northern Spain, southwestern France and in places like Malaga they also found this type of painting. In addition to the cave paintings, artistic objects with different functions, symbology and aesthetics were found.
Religion began to emerge at that time, the result of necessity to the possible unanswered questions that were asked. This is how the theory on the artistic object tries to demonstrate it, which thinks that man makes objects and paints with a magical-religious dimension, that is, that animals are magical and divine beings for these humans (animism and totemism) and they paint them. to achieve sympathetic magic. Another theory thinks that due to the context of perpetuity of the species he is going to give some sexual characteristics to the objects. A third and last theory thinks about the conception of making art for art's sake, that is, without an abstract thought or end that results in their well-being or in the desires of the people of that time, such as an abundance of hunting, improvement of time etc
The sacred character of this time is possessed by the caves of this time, where these animals paint. There is also a marked sexual character in his representations. Inside the cave there are corridors that connect the different chambers. It is thought that these chambers had restricted access only for initiates in this primitive religion.
The animal has to be represented as well as possible so that the sympathetic magic is performed correctly in their way of understanding, so they use polychrome to achieve this realism. Many animals appear headless (headless) to symbolically remove the animal's strength, given the relationship that Paleolithic man made: head-strength. Sympathetic magic is also used for hunting objects or plaques, from which the concept of the artist sorcerer comes, who makes the objects in order to develop that magic.
The pictorial representation is made by silhouetteing the figure of the animal that will later be filled in or maybe not, depending on the case, with monochrome or polychrome. He uses his hands to paint but they also began to use brushes. The paint is made with earth, oxides and a binder (water or animal fat) will be used. The colors that were used were black, ocher, reddish and purple, and later white would also be used. The dominant color will be red and black in second place. Red was a magical color for them because of its association with blood and blood with life. In the Paleolithic the figures are isolated, sometimes there will be superimposition of paintings.
Levantine Art
The inhabitants of the peninsula (10,000-6,500 before present), due to climate change and the disappearance of big game, emigrated to the Levantine coast and the interior mountains. There was an evolution of the human being in his way of thinking. The easier way of life and the benevolence of the climate made man evolve in painting him by making his sanctuaries outside in small rock shelters. The last hunters an abstract thought. At that time the ritual began to be more important than the animistic religious system. In the painting the man began to be represented in front of the previous polychromy. At that moment, monochrome is fundamentally given. The color black was the predominant color along with red, and ocher and white rarely occurred.
Schematic painting
This type of painting occurs between 2000 and 1500 BC. C. Faced with external naturalism, the representation of filiform figures (in the form of a thread) is reached through abstraction. You begin to see figures of an anthropomorphic narrative character and animals forming a group. Faced with smaller animals appears the human figure tending to schematism. The man does not appear with any attribute and the woman appears with skirts.
There is a strong change in the economy starting the collections and they begin to accumulate surpluses... There is a change in the religious mentality bringing the sanctuary closer to man.
The most important area is the southeast of the peninsula, present-day Murcia, Almería, Albacete... which is a crossroads: north-south; East West. Begins a Mediterranean influence coming from the east and west by the sea.
The bull begins to be represented with antlers similar to the lunar crescent, it represents fertility and fecundity. The bull is a common symbol in Mediterranean culture, from Greece to Spain. The bull is the fertilizing element of the moon (mother earth), with this they thought that thanks to the bull there would be abundant harvests, so this animal had a sacred character.
Painting will evolve from symbols to pictograms, giving the drawings more meaning and a standardization of the drawings to speed up their understanding. Where the paintings are represented is considered a true sanctuary. The shelters are no longer at great heights far from the man, but closer to him. Representations of alteriform figures (in the shape of a dumbbell) and magician forms are given. There is a possible Egyptian influence of the Sun god. They represent testimonial-shaped plate idols, with a sense of protection. They give importance to the eyes, which is the essential of man. There is representation of triangles for the representation of man and deer.
Ritual dances with a religious sense of fertility are performed. The figures are schematic with very safe strokes. Men dressed in hats and carrying shields, spears and staffs appear. The red color will be the most important of this period. The masculine and feminine dichotomy will also continue.
Megalithism
.jpg)
As in the rest of Europe, megalithism also occurred in Spain. It was given by the metaphysical thought of the beyond , where man begins to think and wonder about his destiny after death.
Menhirs are in the shape of a primeval mountain and are sacred. Through them, it is thought that vital energy flowed and also that they united the three cosmic spheres: hell, earth and heaven. Another way to represent this will be the ziggurats and pyramids in other cultures. The evolution of the menhir gives rise to the creation of dolmens, which is an enveloping space, which can begin to be called architecture due to the intervention of man to create that space that is sacred and defends against the demonic, as well as being an architecture linked to the death. There are also cromlechs that are a set of menhirs or dolmens placed in a circular shape.
Another construction will be the corridor tombs, which are made up of a burial chamber that is connected to the outside by a corridor. There are collective burials together with a grave goods for the afterlife. With this type of construction they created a sacred and protected space for the ancestors, where the mound was created and buried with earth, forming a small mountain. It will evolve to be built with smaller stones, completely circular rooms and a funerary room that has the sense of a dome, with a sense of a celestial dome, being like a circle of a snake that bites its tail, a concept of eternity towards which the world is tending. thought of the man of the time. Later they will evolve, becoming navetas, in which there are chairs and architrave architecture. There is also another type of funerary monument: the talallot, which is smaller and has a circular floor plan.
The taulot will also be given, which are three large stones, one vertically supporting another that is on top of it in a horizontal position and another diagonally in the shape of a wedge to prevent the supported stone from falling. Walls surrounding the monuments are built to delimit the sacred space. It is considered that the function of these monuments is double:
- To offer food to the gods, which they would place at the top.
- To put a body at the top so that it could be decomposed, like a putrefactory. Another theory says that after incinerated the body would put the ashes there to spread.
Protohistoric art
Tartesian art
It begins with the mythical kingdom of Tartessos in the south of the peninsula, which was located around the mouth of the Tinto river and occupied from the Algarve to Jaén. This kingdom was based on a powerful economy based on agriculture, livestock and trade. Society was completely hierarchical. Cancho Roano stands out as an architectural complex, which could have been a palace-sanctuary and is the most important in the Tartessian world. It can be divided into two periods: the geometric and the orientalizing.
A series of artistic objects have come down to us (chandeliers, cauldrons...) that make us see the advances in their control of metallurgy and goldsmithing.
The most characteristic of the orientalizing period is the Treasure of El Carambolo (a belt, bracelets, bracelets...) made of pure gold. It is part of a funerary trousseau. The objects in this treasure are worked with an oriental technique, no image appears and a thought of horror comes from the east. Being divided into bands, the embossing technique is clearly appreciated. There is also the geometry that is clearly oriental.
Another important treasure is the Aliseda treasure that was possibly made in the East. It is also made of gold and the filigree and chiselled technique predominates.
Phoenician and Punic art in Spain
_01.jpg)
The Phoenicians and later the Punics (Carthaginians) created colonies in North Africa and South Spain for their mineral wealth, these places them within a day's distance of each other. The most important is Gadir for the work of metals and salting for the conservation of fish.
In Gadir (Cádiz) two anthropoid sarcophagi were found, one male and one female, which shows us that they were buried individually. They are influenced by Egyptian sarcophagi, since what they want is to keep the ka in order to live in the afterlife. The influence in the carving of the Greek world is given. The most worked part is the lid, in which there is a relief that emphasizes the head as a thinking element: the shroud that covers the body is reminiscent of Egyptian mummification but, unlike in it, the members are perfectly portrayed.
The right hand on the male sarcophagus is over the heart, which is an iconographic element that wants to make us understand the balance between good and evil that will be done in order to continue in the afterlife. There is a large chisel that gives a chiaroscuro on the head of the sarcophagus.
In the female sarcophagus, in her right hand is a pommel that symbolizes the offering to the gods to be taken to the afterlife. Her eyes are almond shaped and looking at the horizon, she gives herself geometry in her hair treatment.
The Phoenician capital of Galera stands out, which is an antecedent of the Ionic. It is also necessary to highlight the goddess of the Galley, made in alabaster, served as a container to carry out libations and is part of the funerary trousseau. There are some orientalized dresses. The eyebrow, the nose and the almond-shaped eyes have an intimate relationship. The law of frontality is given with the distant gaze. The goddess is barefoot and wears a highly schematic tunic. Her hand ceases to be naturalistic because it is excessively large. The enthronement shows its clear oriental trend with two impressive sphinxes at its sides that are symbols of protection. The face of the sphinx is similar to that of the goddess.
In relation to death, there is a Phoenician tynaterium, which is a Punic perfume vase that belonged to funerary trousseau. It is perfectly carved. Four gods and the representation of the tree of life appear.
In Ibiza there is a terracotta in the necropolis of Puig del Molino. It is called the lady of Ibiza, it is a Punic product in relation to death made by native artists. It is made of small size clay. There is a disproportion between the members and mantle. It is a representation of a fertility goddess ready to pray. She is wearing a hat and a headband. She has a series of necklaces with figurines that are repeated throughout the suit, these have the function of knobs. She has a long neck. She also gives herself the law of frontality, with her almond-shaped eyes and her mouth giving us the sensation of looking into the beyond. There are floral elements continuously due to the fear of empty space coming from the East. It should be noted that the figure in the lower part, grotesque from whose mouth two calculi come out, is again a representation of good and evil, implying the defeat of evil and a protruding bulge that represents a large heart.
Greek art in Spain
The art of classical cultures had a different presence. The settlement of Ampurias (in Greek Emporion) on the northeast coast brought the Greek civilization and its artistic manifestations. The presence of classical art should also be noted in southern areas, through the Phoenician and Carthaginian influence.
There is a Punic lady with very Greek characteristics who has her hands in an offering attitude, she is not dressed in a flowered tunic but with a Greek mantle and there is also a tendency towards naturalism with the folding of cloths. There is continuity between eyebrows and nose, and she has a typical Greek. The decorative elements stand out to emphasize the goddess. Which shows that the Eastern world will merge with the Greek throughout the Mediterranean in the s. VII a. c.
Due to border problems and by agreement between both parties, the Greeks occupied the peninsular part of Hispania or Iberia to the north of present-day Valencia and the Carthaginians to the south of it. The Greeks introduced their culture, trading in luxury items, giving themselves a process of acculturation. The reduced cultivable space in Greece pushed him to exchange artistic goods for grain and other food, which in Hispania abounded.
There were many differences between the colonizing Greeks and the natives, so contacts were minimal and trade took place outside the colonies. Trade union neighborhoods were established and the urbanism of the first colonies influenced the first hopids of the Celtiberian world.
The figure of the god Aesculapius stands out, the god of medicine, the serpent that appears next to his feet reveals his identity. It is made of marble. What is unknown is the place of its manufacture, it is not known if Greek artists made it in Iberia or brought it from Greece. The concept of classical eurythmy is given, everything is subject to a canon and to mathematics. When sculpting the figures, basic geometric figures are taken: circle and square in relation to the canon. The torso is left uncovered imitating Zeus. It attempts to realize a perfect face ethos and a sense of destiny fathum. The body does not correspond to the face.
The centaur of Royos, carved in bronze reminiscent of Iberian statues, has also reached our days. The missing face technique is given. There is the concept of reason, with a human head and instincts with an animal body. He has almond-shaped eyes, an archaic smile, and begins to give himself a sense of idealization. Ceramic will be a luxury item.
Iberian art
Iberian art occurs in the eastern and southern part of the Peninsula, and shows the influences of Mediterranean cultures in notable examples of sculpture, such as the Lady of Elche and the Lady of Baza.
The decline of Tartessos occurred with the arrival of some Indo-European peoples in the north of the peninsula and another people of unknown origin on the plateau and Andalusia. It is said that the Iberians could have arrived from Central Europe or North Africa and took the place of the Tartessian people.
There will be a process of acculturation of the Iberian peoples by the Greeks. These towns are governed by a king and by a council of elders, due to Roman influence some Iberian towns adopted a senate. It is a highly hierarchical society. The economy is based on agriculture and livestock, trade occurs with colonizing towns and among themselves.
The Iberian people, influenced by the Greek world, were going to build cities similar to the Mediterranean ones, called hópidas, which are walled cities, with cyclopean walls and in acropolis. The hopide of the Cerro de las Cabezas is very important because it has remained intact, since the inhabitants abandoned the city due to an external danger. Finding rings, markets, factories... that shows us a highly developed society.
The most important is the Azoida hopide in Teruel, since it is the largest and with good defenses.
The necropolis began to be divided into two classes: that of the ruling class and that of the common people. There is the rite of cremation with collective burials in pot tombs. The tombs usually have a circular shape due to the idea of eternity. There are corridor tombs covered by a mound, as in Tartesos, but the most common is the space built by means of the tmenos (wall) in which we find turriform tombs (the most important is the Tomb of Pozo Moro) with elements with an oriental and Mediterranean symbology.
Another form of burial is the use of sculptures as in the case of the Lady of Baza (5th-6th century BC) or the Lady of Elche. The burial in checkers is used for the most important people. They were buried in places excavated in the ground with the walls fully worked. Around the lady, vessels are placed along with other objects such as grave goods. It is unknown if the lady had the function of a priestess in life or if she was a representation of an Iberian goddess.
The offering ladies from Cerro de los Santos also stand out, as they are coarser than the ladies from Baza and Elche. They were deposited as ex-votos in the sanctuaries. They are usually made of limestone or bronze and range from 1 cm to 150 cm. In these figures the archaic law of frontality returns. The hats are flat, with a zigzag mantle. He carries a glass that is an offering to the gods. Another important sculpture on this hill is the group of spouses, who ask for fertility for the continuity of the species.
Celtic art in Spain
In the Iberian or Hispanic peninsula, the pole opposite to the Iberian were the Celts, with a coarser culture. Lately they merged with the Iberian people (Celtiberians). Its towns are inserted in nature and very marked by the mountains and an economy based on livestock. The Celtic castro is a fortified city like the Iberian hopide, but it lacked urban planning (the most important is that of Santa Tecla). The cabins are circular in shape, built in masonry stone and with thatched roofs. They use flat doors.
They master goldsmithing and the technique of embossing. The animalistic and figurative sculpture more coarse than the Iberian one stands out. They are protective animals of livestock and pastures on which they base their economy. They are usually pigs or bulls (boars) made of granite, there are a large number of samples. The best known are the Guisando bulls in Ávila. They are looking north. They have a submissive attitude with their heads lowered. They have a great schematic sense, which is more important than naturalism. They are shown standing and an emphasis is given to the antlers.
They use gold torqués (necklaces) as male and female adornment. Gold belts also stand out, with a horror of vacuum, for which embossing is used. The Ribadeo treasure stands out, where there is a gold belt where flowers with six petals appear, representing the solar disk and which also provide a sense of protection for the place.
Roman art in Spain
Roman culture and art of a Hellenistic nature came from ancient Greek colonies such as Ampurias and became widespread with the Roman conquest of Hispania from the Second Punic War (late 20th century III BC).
The peninsula was negatively affected by the Roman civil wars, but from the High Empire began a period of strong cultural development through Romanization. During the Augustan empire and the Julio-Claudian dynasty, road infrastructures and the provision of cities (Roman roads, bridges, aqueducts, amphitheatres, circuses...) greatly improved. The rise to imperial power of Spaniards such as Trajan and Hadrian (II century after Christ) led to the beautification of cities such as Itálica. Among the urban complexes, the cities of Augusta Emerita (Mérida) and Tarraco (Tarragona, seat of the imperial court in the estancia of Augusto during the Cantabrian wars -from 29 to 19 BC-) stood out. Other singular monuments, such as the Segovia aqueduct or the Alcántara bridge are scattered throughout the territory, as a consequence of the extensive and deep Romanization.
In Hispania, everything that was art and fashion from the Roman capital was imitated (Æmulatio). There was a cult art in Rome and in the most important cities close to it, in keeping with the Hellenic style, more rationalist and naturalistic. The historian Bianchi Bandinelli hypothesized that there was another art parallel to the cult, which assumed provincial features and which he called plebeian art . This art, of more popular roots, would be more concerned with the end than with the formal; it was more schematic, simpler and expressionist, and even more symbolic than highbrow or official art. Most of the provincial art could be equated to commoner art, and in each province it evolved in a different way.
The Late Roman Empire opens the period known as Late Antiquity, in which the radical modification of Roman civilization had its consequences in art. For Hispania the IV century signified a new period of splendor (again under emperors of Hispanic origin, such as Theodosius) being of this period most of the archaeological remains (such as mosaics) scattered in rural villae and even in cities such as Complutum (Alcalá de Henares).
Paleochristian art
Paleo-Christian art is the final stage of Roman influence. The cultural change that took place during the 2nd to the 4th centuries had little validity in the Peninsula, since the invasions of the Germanic peoples began in the year 409.
During the first three centuries this art was not going to be different from the Roman one. Christianity settles in the Roman Empire and there were territorial differences, in the establishment. Its beginnings are unknown, linked to the apostles Saint Paul and Santiago.
In the s. III there are several testimonies, which indicate the existence of Christian communities in the Hispanic Peninsula. These communities will have, on the one hand, a connection with Rome and Italy, but on the other hand, with North Africa, since an influence from Africa can be seen in the first Hispanic Christianity.
There is no record of churches. There was also a lot of pressure to abandon the Christian faith due to how frowned upon this religion was in the eyes of the Romans. In the year 259 during the persecution of Decius, the bishop of the city, Fructuoso, and his deacons, Augurio and Eulogio, suffered martyrdom at the stake in the amphitheater of Tarragona. The flowering of the cult of the relics of the martyrs gave rise to a series of buildings dedicated to their custody and memory.
Around the year 300 a synod was held in Granada, called the synod of Iliberri, where 35 episcopal sees in Hispania were cited. Around this time, the first artistic remains can be found, mostly sarcophagi, which will be the first manifestations of paleo-Christian art.
These first paleochristian manifestations, the sarcophagi, mausoleums, etc. They will originate in two ways:
- The first of the patrician families of Christian faith, which imported from Rome large mausoleums in the countryside, with their corresponding sarcophages also imported, where they will flee from the fiscal advantages that it supposes not to belong to a city, due to the increase of taxes, to pay the public works plus the defense face of Rome in the sunset of the Empire. Villa de la Olmeda is an example of these mausoleums.
- The second rise from the humblest Christians will appear necropolis, such as Tarraco or Corduba. Both will have paleo-Christian artistic traits.
The sarcophagi of Astorga stand out, the one of the History of Susana, the one of the triumphant Christ, the one of Martos.
One of the best-known and most popular motifs in early Christian art is the Good Shepherd, a sculpture with a round shape, represented as a shepherd dressed in a tunic, carrying a sheep. This theme symbolizes Christ as savior of his flock. In early Christian times, the image of the Good Shepherd was used to decorate tombstones, sarcophagi, and funerary sculpture, in order to show the salvation of the soul. Hardly any samples have arrived to date. An effigy of Christ as Good Shepherd found in the house of Pilatos in Seville is preserved. In it, Christ is represented as a beardless boy with a sheep behind him.
Paleochristian buildings
The distribution of early Christian architecture in Spain: Churches, mausoleums, sarcophagi in the Balearic Islands, Tarraco, Merida and the Betic coast indicates that the most Romanized areas are those with the most early Christian architecture.
Mausoleum
The high cost of mausoleums indicates that they are built by high class and/or very important people. There will be two influences that lead to the construction of these mausoleums:
- Heroa
The Heroa monuments commemorated a hero, while the mausoleums were a tomb. In this case, the two types of monuments were intermingled, reaching, with the passage of time, such ambiguity that they were confused.
- Martyria
The martyria are going to serve the Christians for their burial. They will adopt very varied structures. Centralized, rectangular plants, also cruciform shapes. The martyrium of La Alberca in Murcia and the martyrium of La Dehesa de La Cocosa (Badajoz) stand out.
Basilicas
Counter-absidian churches
The counter-apse churches are those with two apses: one to the east and the other to the west. This type of church is seen in North Africa and will survive in the Visigothic period. These churches were reused in the Visigothic period. The Palma-Monforte tower in Portugal is important for its baptistery, which is a room with a more or less cruciform pool. The plan reflects the path of the catechumens and the clergy. The one in Vega del Mar in Malaga is made up of three warehouses. It is another church of this type, with semicircular apses. The baptismal pool is located in a room next to the apse.
Visigothic art
More relevant is the artistic idiosyncrasy of the Visigothic culture that, with capital and episcopal primacy in Toledo, founded a homogeneous Christian space with its own characters.
Architecture
The evolution of the Roman basilica gave rise to churches with a Greek cross plan in which the horseshoe arch was used, which was later assimilated by Mozarabic art and integrated as an autochthonous and differentiating element of Islamic art in Al-Andalus. The Visigoths are a people that came from Eastern Europe, then became Roman soldiers and became Christians.
They first occurred in France and when they were defeated in Tolosa the capital was moved to Toledo in the year 507. After the Vandals, Suevi and Alans, the Visigoths invaded the Iberian Peninsula. They settle in the North Plateau. His presence spans from the s. V to VII.
His art is considered Hispano-Roman having classical foundations. They are very Romanized, so the culture shock with the Roman citizens of Hispania is not very strong. They also have influences from Byzantine and Oriental art.
When the Visigoths arrived, they had to politically unify Spain and the religious unification that occurred after the Council of Toledo.
Two stages occur in architecture:
- The training stage called arrhana (415-587).
- The stage of splendor (587-711).
The first stage is of settlement and in it there is a continuity of paleo-Christian and Hispano-Roman art, there is a continuity of classical Roman art introduced by means of metal pieces, brooches, etc. Here the Visigoths create a government that has power throughout the peninsula. Almost nothing of the architecture has been preserved and we have studies of the plans of the churches. The Head of the Greek in Cuenca, the Basilica of San Pedro de Alcántara, the Basilica of Son Bou in Menorca and the Basilica of Algezares stand out.
The second stage is one of splendor, the Visigoths unified the peninsula for the most part. Visigothic art reaches its greatest apogee and splendor; and it has a great contrast with Byzantine art, this being more rude and simple. The influence of this lives on in later Asturian and Mozarabic art.
The characteristics of Visigothic architecture can be highlighted in relation to the rest of Europe. The interiors are sober and rustic. It is a very compartmentalized space that conveys an idea of mystery with tapestries. This multiple division of the interior space contrasts with the exterior with flat volumes. From the outside we can imagine what the internal structure is like.
As for the formal elements, stone ashlars that fit into the bone are used, only in the angles do they use wooden staples to reinforce the chamfers. The ashlars used follow a pattern that has as a measure the medieval rod (80 cm) in general they are thick, smooth walls without buttresses, this shows a lack of security in the construction and there are also very few windows that will only be arrow slits.
The horseshoe arch is the fundamental one, it was already used by Roman art and comes from Cappadocia. It is used for its aesthetic character and for its constructive qualities. It is banked a third of its radius. Unlike the Muslim horseshoe, the Visigoth has an outer circumference that does not follow the inner one, so it integrates perfectly into the wall.
The presbytery rises on steps and the interior space is hierarchical. The transept is accused in the Visigoth floor. This type of cruciform plant was originally a Greek cross or equal arms. The cross plan is due to the importance of the transept that has a symbolic role and the appearance of rooms that have a liturgical character.
The basilica plan begins to be used less compared to the cruciform plan and if it persists it appears with a transept (San Juan de Baños, San Pedro de la Nave...). in all cases the head is rectangular inside and out.
Above the head there is a vaulted enclosure that is a small chamber used to store the liturgical elements. All the churches are oriented towards Jerusalem, the head being illuminated by windows. The interior space is marked to the east. The headers on both sides of the apse usually have two side chambers called prosthesis and diaconicon.
For the coverage of these naves, barrel vaults are used especially for the central nave, for the rest of the church a flat wooden roof is used. Thus, a different model is used on the roof if it is the main one or the lateral ones. Vaults are used in chapels with short naves and side chambers and these are made of stone or brick. Hemispherical domes also appear due to Byzantine influence, such as in San Fructuoso de Montelius.
As for the capitals, they are of the Corinthian order but quite schematic, made up of solid leaves or leaves and in the upper part there are diffused volutes. Few and small openings are opened in the wall. The exteriors of these churches are undecorated and stone latticework is used in the few openings that appear.
On the main façade there are belfries and it is normal for the main door to have a horseshoe arch typical of Spanish art. During this period the Hispanic liturgy was created and it influenced the configuration of the interior space. This Hispanic liturgy will remain in force until the implantation of the Roman liturgy in the s. XI which would require a different organization.
The iconostasis that divides the north and south part appears. Faced with this barrier, the faithful are placed according to their status as men or women who occupy differentiated spaces. Behind the iconostasis is the space dedicated to the initiates or choir of the clergy. Choir and altar are communicated.
The decoration is in the capitals, in the middle areas of the walls, both inside and outside, absence of free-standing sculpture, the theme is linked to the religious orbit and all have a complementary function as ornamentation of the architecture. The sources of inspiration are: contemporary with other towns in the environment that is usually abstract or vegetal, and figurative or naturalistic related to the Roman tradition and the Byzantine world.
The best examples come from the Mérida workshop that follow the earlier Roman tradition, such as ornamental pilasters. The most used decorative motifs are birds, grapes and acanthus leaves.
Visigothic painting
It occurs in the s. VIII. It is not known if it is originally from Spain. The theme of the deluge appears and the bodies appear scattered with a certain intention of perspective. The colors are conventional and the figures are developed in a naturalistic way.
Asturian art
.jpg)
Occurs in Asturias, which is a focus of resistance against the Muslim invasion, this art was born in the pastoral and isolated nucleus that has nothing to do with Mozarabic art. Asturias resisted the Muslims and the Astures created their own culture characterized by isolation, which is conditioned by the sea and the mountains. We can distinguish three periods:
- Principles of the s. VIII, is characterized by being surrounded by mountains and sea and develops an architecture without connection with Europe or Spain, strong buildings and queen Alfonso II (791 – 842).
- Stage of maturity. Ramirian style of Ramiro I (842 – 860).
- Stage of splendor. Alfonso III (860 – 910).
The first stage includes the churches of Santillanes de Pravia and later the Holy Chamber of Oviedo and San Julián de los Prados. Visigothic elements predominate since at first this art was considered heir to the precedent and wanted to reestablish the Hispanic monarchy.
The second stage highlights the palace of Santa María del Naranco, San Miguel de Lillo and Santa Cristina de Lena. It is the stage of the revolution within architecture. The buildings are conceived with a greater height imposing the verticality. They are going to look like barrel vaults supported by transverse or perpignan arches, which are arranged transversally to the axis of the nave and that support the barrel vault. These arches correspond to abutments or buttresses. The apses are rectangular and follow the Visigothic tradition but differ in that here they are not separated. The windows are mullioned, even tripartite, and the lattices of Visigothic art remain in them. The buildings are built in masonry. On the walls there are blind arches that have a decorative and constructive function.
In the third stage, the Asturian kingdom expanded, reaching Galicia, León and the north of Castile. The repopulation phase begins and San Salvador de Valdediós and San Adriano de Tuñón stand out. Here the Asturian style is intermingled with Mozarabic art and glimpses of some Romanesque elements.
Art is the result of royal initiatives and the art of the court of Oviedo is a continuity of the art of Toledo. The eighth, ninth and tenth centuries are key in the border line between Christian and Muslim power. The VIII century is the century of resistance, of formation of the first nuclei against the Muslim power of the rest of the Peninsula. The 9th century is that of the expansion towards the south and manages to repopulate the Duero plateau. The 10th century saw a Muslim recovery of the territory that coincided with Almanzor and Abderramán III.
Asturian art is financed and programmed by the crown and is used as propaganda, intended to create a sense of continuity with the Visigoth in the eyes of the observer, such as seeing Asturias as the continuation of the nation of Hispania.
This art developed around the Court and the capitals that the kingdom had:
- Cangas de Onís (737), where the Church of the Holy Cross rises.
- Pravia (774), rises the building of the Saint Johns which is constituted as a royal pantheon.
- Oviedo (860), civil and religious buildings are built and they take as a reference the carolingian world and Toledo, with the idea of projecting it in Oviedo. In this period the cathedral, the baptisterium, the royal pantheon, a chapel of relics and the palace for the king is ordered.
The second stage or Ramiriense stage began in the middle of the s. IX with Ramiro I who ordered the construction of numerous works and raised a series of innovative architectural typologies such as Santa María del Naranco and San Miguel de Lillo. The first would be built next to a palatial residence ordered to be built by Ramiro I at the foot of the Naranco mountains.
Alfonso II walls Oviedo and builds the Foncada (palatial residence). The churches follow the previous tradition and have a basilica plan with 3 or 1 nave and, as in the Visigothic period, the transept appears but does not protrude. A corresponding tripartite head appears with each of the 3 ships. In general, the plant shows that it is a space divided into compartments. The iconostasis appears, continuing the liturgy of the Visigoths, which is done with its back to the faithful, which conditions the interior space. The chancel is hidden by the iconostasis. In the angles, more worked and regular stones are used. The arches are still made of stone. Lime and marble are used for the floors. For the supports, pillars that can be quadrangular or rectangular are used, in these pillars there is hardly any decoration and when columns are used, a smooth shaft or with roped decoration is used. The capitals are cubic and the base is decorated. The arches are semicircular or peralted, on the front they have polychromatic decoration.
In the final stage, the horseshoe arch appears due to Mozarabic influence, different from the Visigothic one, in which its intrados and extrados are not parallel.
The roofs are made of wood for the bulk of the nave and the barrel vault at the top. The weight of the barrel vault is distributed by the transverse arches that correspond to the exterior with buttresses that were born with a constructive idea but were later used as decoration, increasing their number and losing their qualities.
The appearance of the buildings presents a sparsely decorated exterior, as opposed to a richly decorated interior. They are buildings very divided inside with iconostasis, blind arches at the head and paintings that hide the poverty of the materials. Outside, more slender buildings are developed that approximate the 3 to 1 ratio of the Gothic. Visigothic art followed the Roman proportion of 1.
The plant of the Asturian is taller and less wide. In the heads there are small chambers similar to the Visigoths located in the main chapel above the altar and were used to store liturgical objects. At the feet is the pantheon and on this in the upper part a tribune as a choir.
Goldsmithing
Representations of Asturian gold and silver work have remained from the 8th and 9th centuries and the most important sample are the votive crosses such as the Cruz de los Ángeles from 808, it was a donation from Alfonso II for the holy chamber, it is a cross with the equal arms that incorporates precious stones and is covered by a gold thread.
The Victoria Cross
It is the masterpiece of goldsmithing of the time, it was commanded by Alfonso III, it responds to a Carolingian technique with filigree ornaments made of gold. It is made of a wooden frame covered in gold and precious stones.
The box of agates
It is a box donated by King Fruela II. Enamels and also inlays of other types of stones are used and for the gold rivets they use a vegetable decoration.
Angel Cross.
Victory Cross.
The agate box.
Mozarabic art
.jpg)
The architecture of the X is subject to a strong Muslim influence. Christian Spain had expanded its domains and these new territories were repopulated with Mozarabs (Christians who had lived in the Muslim area).
At the beginning of the 10th century, the term Mozarabic was coined, giving its name to Christian art of the X century, the Mozarabs are also Christians who remained living in Muslim territory. Subsequently, José Camón Aznar establishes some modifications with respect to the previous definition. He introduces two aspects: the authentic Mozarabic art of Christians, and the zone of repopulation of Christians in the Duero area.
This architecture extends to the north of Spain and Portugal and to the south of France. In the year 900 the kingdom of León reached the border of the Duero, in 50 years it has occupied this territory beyond its administrative possibilities and has to carry out a colonization process carried out mainly by monasteries. The new political-administrative organization led to the transfer of the capital from Oviedo to León, having to build new defensive enclosures.
A new architecture with a monastic base is produced, the churches are built in stone but the bulk of the monastery is made of masonry. A strict line is followed. The sculpture is small and will be a secondary element within the art, this sculpture appeared in the iconostasis and in the capitals of the columns.
On the outside, a characteristic element will appear: the lobe modillions, which are corbels that have a decorative function. These modillions are located under the roof and it seems that they are holding the roof.
Painting is developed by monastic types and will appear mainly in the books known as "blessed".
In the 10th century, the Mozarabs will be prohibited from propagandizing their faith, so they will be prohibited from building new churches. In general, they had to be content with the previous churches (Visigoths), even these buildings had to share them with the liturgy of the mosques and in the rural area, new constructions were developed, such as in Ronda, where cave buildings excavated in the rock could be erected. Especially in the south of the peninsula. These churches tried to emulate free-standing churches and tried to follow the construction elements such as horseshoe arches.
These are east facing churches. They present tripartite head, iconostasis, groin vault, horseshoe arches although they do not fulfill a tectonic function.
Thumbnails
It is the illustration of codices and religious books. The oldest examples are from the s. X. These Mozarabic artisans spread the miniaturist custom through the center and north. In addition to the Visigothic influence, they add the Arab influence.
There is not a great variety of texts and drawings and the images are constantly repeated. The most illustrated books are the Bibles and special attention is devoted to the theme of the Apocalypse, these books are the so-called blessed.
Islamic art
Several stages could be distinguished in Andalusian art: that of the Caliphate (8th–10th centuries), that of the Taifa kingdoms (11th–12th centuries), that of the Almoravids and Almohads (12th–15th centuries) and that of the Nasrid kingdom of Granada, which lasted until 1492. The Emiral and Caliphate art are outstanding examples: the Mosque (Cathedral today) of Córdoba and the urban complex of Medina Azahara. Hispano-Arab architecture radiates from these models and develops, becoming more complex in the age of Taifa art. In La Aljafería de Zaragoza the arches are mixed and multi-lobed, the materials are poorer and the appearance exceeds the functional capacity of the interior space. These characteristics influence Maghrebi Islam and return with the Berber invasions to the Peninsula, where they are shown above all in Almohad architectural manifestations, visible in the lower body of the Giralda (minaret of the old aljama mosque) and in the Albarrana fortress of the Torre del Oro. The filigree of the stucco is densified in the Alhambra of the Nasrid kings, with the proliferation of the ataurique of false muqarnas domes.
Muslims did not create new artistic solutions but rather adapted those used by Persians and Byzantines but unlike them they managed to make a universal art as happened with the Greek and its diffusion with the Roman. The Arabs do a job similar to that of the Romans of diffusion and extension of artistic forms. This diffusion extends from Córdoba to India.
The main merit is not in its creation but in understanding and extending what has been created. Thus we see how they start from previous artistic experiences and evolve on them. The same happens in the rest of cultural manifestations such as philosophy.
From the artistic point of view in Arab architecture we can distinguish the Umayyad (650-750) and the Abbasid (750-1238). There are other Turkish periods that are an extension of these Tatar, Indian and Chinese influences. All these styles find their echo in Spain, although with some delay with respect to the original style. In Spain, the classification of architectural styles corresponds to: the Cordoba period (VIII-X), the Taifa and African period (Almoravid and Almohad: XI-XIII) and the Granada period (XIII-XV).
A religious cohesion is created in Spain, they make a profession of religious faith, prayers 5 times a day, almsgiving as a tax system, fasting in Ramadan, pilgrimage to holy places, etc. Art is interested in the development of a series of buildings: palaces for political power and mosques for religious power, where Friday prayers take place. It is an eclectic art that makes use of all kinds of materials, plants and decorative elements, which come from the Roman Christian, early Christian and Persian world, it takes up these elements.
He rejects sculpture and the representation of living beings and on the other hand uses monumental writing. The types of buildings are: hypostyle mosque that will have a roof supported by several columns, these mosques have two different areas: porticoed courtyard (sham) and prayer room (haram). There is also the "mirab" which is the chapel where the imam is placed to lead the prayer and here the copy of the Koran is kept. The mimbar is where the authorities are located and is equivalent to the stands of the West. The Sabbath is a kind of path that allowed differentiated access for the authorities in the mosque.
The location of the Arab buildings: the northern part does not preserve Arab buildings, then Arab art will influence the kingdoms of the peninsula and originate the Mudejar style. The most representative building of Caliphate art is the Mosque (now the Cathedral) of Córdoba.
Here you can see the characteristic elements of caliphal art. It begins in the 8th century and ends in the 9th, but later reforms are made. It is an organic architecture, in continuous growth that is the key to Muslim architecture.
The Arabs used the horseshoe arch, with red and white polychrome, except in the upper part that they use the semicircular arch to support the roof, the use of this horseshoe arch was initially inspired by Visigothic architecture and the columns are smooth without a decorated shaft and some were used from previous buildings. The capitals present a very crude vegetal decoration and are inspired by the classic Corinthians. There are corbels of roll modillions, this is a survival of the previous architecture as the site where the mosque was built was San Vicente. The speed with which Abderraman finished the work cannot be understood unless we consider that the elements were from a previous building that had 5 naves and he converted them into 11 shorter ones, retouching some decorative elements and adding the mirab.
There are two types of horseshoe arch: Visigothic and Islamic. The difference is that in the Visigothic it is observed in its cant with concentric intrados and extrados that in this caliphal arch are decentered and the extrados is no longer parallel, only in the first voussoirs is it parallel and we will see how it widens.
Another novelty is the decoration of the arches, using different colors or alternating voussoirs with relief, this type of relief is called ataurique, which are plant forms with an ornamental effect. The spandrels are decorated with ataurique circles. It must be considered that although apparently the voussoirs are arranged radially, only the voussoirs will be radial from the middle of the arch upwards and parallel from the impost line to the end of the arch. This arrangement is called voussoirs, those that are below the impost line and are embedded in the wall.
Another solution will be the crowning of the building and the use of a new type of dome with thick ribs. It will be a ribbed vault but the ribs do not cross in the center, leaving the central space empty. They will make groin and barrel vaults.
The caliphal dome will be the most used and it began to be used in the time of Alhakén II and in the middle of the X century it had a great diffusion. The precedents appear in Mesopotamia and Kurdistan.
Al Hakam II made 4 of these vaults that occupy the central part of the extension section and another three the mabsura, in one of them the central spaces are decorated with a sense of vacui horror that He makes them cover everything in decoration. This profusion of decoration is typical of the Arab sensibility. To support this vault, there are vaults decorated with gallons that allow the passage from the circular figure to the square through the tubes.
The Mirab of Alhakén II is the definitive one and is located on the southern border wall and was the place destined for the chapel. It has the classic horseshoe arch, although in its time the lobed semicircular one that appears as decoration on the frieze was preferred, always appearing in an odd number. The custom will become more complicated and will end in the decorative arches of Granada. He wanted to highlight the magnificence of the place, he covered the jambs with marble and the arches with ataurique. Subsequently, the rest of the façade is covered with glass mosaic of Byzantine origin. The tower is not the original because the Christians covered it with Renaissance forms and it only maintains the interior. On the façade there are horseshoe arches and a small pavilion inside. Sebka is introduced as decoration.
Nazari art
In the 13th century the kingdom of Granada was created, which encompasses the current provinces of Málaga, Granada, Almería and Jaén, dating from the s. XII to the s. XV. The most characteristic is the Alhambra in Granada.
Mihamer I began to build it on an existing fortress on the hills of Granada. Because of the reddish color of the brick, it is called the Alhambra. The main nucleus is not built until the s. XIV by Yusuf I. Around this central part, patios and chambers are developed, centered on the Patio de la Alberca or de Arrayanes. The vegetation is one more architectural element, the only eternal and lasting thing is Ala and that is why it is built with perishable elements so as not to last forever and not compete with Ala. The Muslim ideal of earthly paradise is achieved. Poor materials, rich decoration with plaster and muqarnas. The human figure is not represented by religion and is covered with vegetal and epigraphic decoration from Islam texts. At the end of the patio would be the throne room or Comores. To the right is another courtyard, that of the lions, built by Mohamed V with a central fountain supported by lions, it is surrounded by arches with columns with a scenographic effect and a feeling of a monastery, on the sides of the courtyard is the hall of the aberienajes and of the two sisters. There are also rooms, bathrooms, rooms and recreation areas. With the construction of the courtyard, the aim was not to leave the visitor impassive.
Mudejar art
Mudejar art is the artistic production of Muslims at the service of Christians. As the reconquest progressed, the Muslims submitted to the Christian administration, in the north the Christians did not have artisans and were forced to hire Muslims and resorted to builders to build their works. The Muslim technique endorsed for centuries was put at the service of the Christians. They use their aesthetic ideas and whims. The name of Mudejar alternates with that of Moorish and it was Amador de los Ríos who coined the term Mudejar that is used to name the mixed product of the Moors and Christians. It is not an original product but a symbiosis of constructive and decorative systems. Originality resides in this mix of styles and not in using new constructive forms.
The Mudejar style is not uniform throughout the Peninsula but is very varied. Mudejar elements are found throughout the peninsula and there are local varieties. There are almost no Mudejar elements in the area of Cantabria and the Pyrenees and it abounds in Toledo and the Ebro valley. This location will be understood taking into account the chronology of the Christian advance. Until the s. XII cannot speak of Mudejar art because the Christians only had kingdoms in the north and around the Duero valley. Only with the conquests of Fernando I and Alfonso VI of Castile and with the occupation of the Tagus Valley and Toledo did the Islamic and Christian people come into contact.
The builders emigrated voluntarily during the s. IX and s. X and during the Mudejar period they begin to work for the Christians in the s. XII and continue to do so until the s. XVI seeing forced to do so. These Muslim builders are going to be absorbed by the stronger Christian culture.
Romanesque art
Romanesque is a religious, feudal and aristocratic art. The clerics have the same interests as the nobility and Romanesque art will be established from the monasteries.
From the s. V al s. X develops in Spain pre-Romanesque styles (Visigoths, Mozarabs, Astures). From the s. XI will appear the Romanesque as a representation of feudalism. The churches of this era are a milestone in the architecture of all time.
This architecture was born in Spain and had its first creative focus in the Empire of Charlemagne, the Cluny reform at the beginning of the s. X is the determining factor of the architecture. His works are churches and monasteries of enormous proportions to date. The monasteries are in separate places and are established as defense bulwarks in Spain there was a self-sufficient, closed economy, as the X passed, an economy unrelated to other markets was established. The sensation of progress does not occur until the High Middle Ages. Everything that is produced is directed by the divine and the church, with a cosmic and moral vision. This spirit occurs in the Romanesque style from the s. X. This flowering of a new culture is inseparable from the medieval church.
It forms heavy, solid architectures. It is the reflection of a new social demand and these forms and in general the whole society is determined by religion as a consequence of the sacralization of society.
Art was considered as something aesthetic and not as a creation of the cult. The Romanesque is formalist. Painting and sculpture are only conceived as complementary elements of architecture. All the representation fulfills an ornamental function within the church and constitutes a manifestation of the sacred. The Romanesque church is larger than necessary for the population. This greater dimension is not due to satisfy a human need but to satisfy God. It must be studied as the ground and space that man attributes to God. The human proportions of classicism are forgotten. It is the first universalized style in the West since the fall of the Roman Empire. It extends throughout Europe and is the manifestation of medieval Christianity. In Spain it has contact with the Muslim, appearing examples such as the Mudejar. The Romanesque is abundant to the north of the Duero and Ebro, since the southern regions were under Muslim rule.
Two currents are established within the Romanesque in Spain, one of the oldest occurs in Catalonia during the X, XI and XII, with influences from Milan, Bergamo, Pavia and Brescia. Another comes from the south of France. In Catalonia, churches were built for the high clergy and feudal nobles. The other current of the Romanesque infiltrates Spain through the Camino de Santiago and begins to appear in the s. XI. It will determine the Riojan, Galician and Asturian style of the XI and XII. This architectural role is more evolved than the Lombard one and it will be the Benedictine clergy who introduce it. The first is promoted by the Lombards and the second by the Cluniacs. Two prominent styles are introduced less than a century apart. They differ in some details but basically have the same concept.
The first style is developed in Catalonia mainly on the periphery of the Pyrenees, the typology is the most important thing in the Romanesque church where characteristic and recurring elements appear, constituting the prototype of the Romanesque church. In silver, a basilica with three to five naves can appear in which semicircular chapels, a chevet and a transept can be added. It is oriented to the East (towards Jerusalem). The cruise ship that stands out in plan will appear. At the head there are 2, 4 or 6 semicircular chapels visible on the outside that are made of stone. Another characteristic of the Romanesque is the prolongation of the naves that are joined by the apse by means of the ambulatory, which will allow them to be pilgrimage churches. The bell tower has a square section and great height and is not inside the building but appears at the foot or at the head.
The other key typology are the monasteries with a central axis that is a patio, which is square in shape and in the area that faces the patio has an arcade and an ambulatory for the monks. This cloister has two floors, the second with arcades and with the cells for the monks. Internal dependencies have multiple uses. Barrel vaults and flat roofs appear. The thickness of the walls is trusted to support the barrel vaults, another characteristic element is the column, forgetting the classical proportion, it is a very thick column with a cylindrical shaft. There is also a cruciform pillar that arises due to the needs of the Romanesque roof by supporting the flat wooden roof by transversal arches and resting on arches, it is necessary to multiply the supports of the square pillar and the cross is created, to which It will add attached columns. It will get more complicated depending on the demand for the new roof. The trunk appears, the roofs will be barrel vaults and the domes in the dome, which is the tower over the transept. The most outstanding arch is the semicircular one and the barrel and groin vault, where two semicircular arches intersect. The barrel vault is used for the central nave and the groin or quarter barrel vault for the lateral ones.
The barrel vault of the central nave is supported by transverse arches. There are also formero arches parallel to the central nave, and these transverse and formero arches when they support the transept nave are called torales. These sash bows when pointed are called diaphragm bows. These transverse arches rest on pillars or strong columns with smooth shafts.
In the transept where the transept intersects with the main nave, the dome appears, which is a hemispherical vault that transmits its forces from a circular shape to a square one by means of tubes or pendentives. Sometimes in the dome there is a small temple with a dome pierced with openings called a lantern.
On the outside, the problem is to consolidate the solidity of the exterior and uses stirrups that, in addition to supporting them, give an ornamental appearance. By using this large barrel vault in the central nave, the abutments appear insufficient and semicircular vaults are placed on the sides to allow passage to the walls and abutments in a more graduated way. This system with the use of half-barrel vaults also appears in the apse that is surrounded by chapels with half-barrel vaults called oven. There is also a compound wall made up of continuous blind arches that attenuate the pressure of the circular wall and appear at the head of all the apses. Another characteristic element is the cover multiplying the semicircular arches that forces the supporting elements to multiply. The semicircular arches correspond to columns, which produces a flare, which has plant or human-shaped decoration. The tympanum decorated with reliefs with geometric or figurative themes appears. If the empty space in the arch is very large, a column is placed in the middle called a mullion.
Gothic art
In the s. XII and XIII there is a transitional style between Gothic and Romanesque, there are no pure style buildings since it takes two or more centuries for its completion. This can make it difficult to understand the work and it is also difficult to date it between the XII and XIII. The medieval building is not conceived in a static way, but the model changes over time. The architect who projects, does and concludes the work is not the same and the building is an assemblage of different styles. The architecture is inserted in the urban fabric. The churches in plan will not stand out from the houses but if in elevation, at the door they do not have a garden as in the Renaissance. At this time there were economic problems to carry out the works and for this reason it took a long time to build them, also in some cases they had to resort to alms.
With the Gothic, the situation changed, having huge architects. The walls undergo changes, they go from thick to perforated to place windows. Buildings increase in elevation. In the Romanesque the proportion was 1 base by 2 height, in the Gothic it will be 1 base by 3 height. There are new technical and constructive solutions. The weight of the vault does not have to rest on the wall, but the lines of force of the roof can be directed to specific points that coincide with the abutments and external pillars. Nerves appear and will be more and more. The vault appears to transmit the weight to the ground through flying buttresses.
These solutions are not an art-historical innovation. Technical solutions are reached to lighten the weight of the wall with lighter materials. The Gothic is a continuation of the Romanesque and there is a transition period of imperfect style that allows us to see the evolution until the Gothic. The germ of the evolution of the Gothic is in its roof that demands interior and exterior solutions that allow trying the new forms of the building and uses the pointed arch that allows more elevation of the construction with less lateral pressure than the semicircular one due to the reform of the cister this ogival arch is well known and widely distributed. The ribbed vault is produced, which is higher than the Romanesque groin vault.
In the Gothic the lines of force are in the ribs and between these there are supplements made of light stone or brick with a tectonic function, it would conclude with a lateral support that transmits to the ribs that in turn transmit it vertically to the floor. The pointed arches would intersect producing sexpartite, star or fan vaults. The pillars start from the Romanesque cruciform and from the s. XI its structure is complicated with attached columns, with this the ribbed vault is supported and the ribs of the vault that coincide with the columns are multiplied. The bead stick appears that coincides with the pillar from top to bottom and later does not reach the ground. This conditions the base of the pillars that are going to have a correspondence with the nerves of the vault and at the base are the moldings. This stylistic complication led to the disappearance of the capital supported by a decorative strip, like a characteristic molding of the Gothic pillar. In the S. XIV and XV these moldings will multiply forming a star pillar.
Something characteristic is the cover, the pointed arch is used although there are examples with decorative semicircular arches. The flare continues to be used with more depth. In the decoration the vegetal or geometric is preferred and the human (sculptures) also appears much more stylized than in the Romanesque. Another element is the thistle leaf or cardina. Unlike the spirituality of the Romanesque, Gothic sculptures are more naturalistic, and distance themselves from the Romanesque.
The most characteristic feature will be the cathedral with three naves, a rose window on the façade and the tympanum is divided into as many parts as there are naves. The transept stands out in plan, has an ambulatory and apse chapels in the ambulatory. On the main façade there are towers. The flying buttresses and gargoyles stand out. The ss. XIII, XIV and XV gradually generated slender pillars and the ribbed vaults became star-shaped. The large stained glass windows and the flamboyant ones appear.
In sculpture, horror themes are abandoned and are more human and realistic, inspired by new religious themes as well. The Virgin Mary is no longer seen as the throne of God, she is much more human, she teaches her son. There is sculpture attached to doorways and capitals, in altarpieces where sculpture is combined with painting. There is also the funerary sculpture, free-standing or attached, the greatest luxury of burials is when they occur under the dome and also the closer to the altar.
Renaissance art in Spain
The term Renaissance has traditionally encompassed various styles that we can now consider independent, such as Spanish-Flemish or Final Gothic. Plateresque is only an art that works in decoration, not an independent style. Spanish Renaissance art is a hybrid of many styles that will not follow Italian classicism. It is a century of indefinition in art. Classical art was imbued with anthropocentrism, therefore the Renaissance identified with that way of thinking and imitated that art. In Spain there were favorable conditions for the development of the Renaissance but there was still a lot of conservatism on the part of the church and the nobility that maintained the Gothic style. An example would be the Santa Cruz de Valladolid school, in a Gothic key and with Renaissance elements. This hodgepodge would be called Spanish proto-Renaissance.
This implied a freedom in the artist (who was not organized in guilds) who was protected by the patron, at the same time, there was an exaltation of the glory of the patron. Another precept is collecting, which implies a predilection for seeking beauty. Patronage arrived in Spain through the Crown of Aragon (Kingdom of Naples) and through noble diplomacy with Italy and the Holy See. Art is at the service of power coincides with the beginning of authoritarian monarchies to the detriment of feudal lords. There is a Neoplatonic sense that is the cult of beauty that emanates from God.
Spanish artists will be greatly influenced by Italian art. At the end of the s. XIV are the books of Vitruvio, will be the canons of construction in the Renaissance. The codex Valencianus is an architectural treatise based on Vitruvius, it will be the one that most influenced Spain. There is Nero's Domus Aurea that will give the concept of grotesque to the Renaissance. Before the arrival in Spain of the Renaissance, there was a pro-Renaissance movement and later the Renaissance would come at the hands of the Mendoza family.
Proto-Rebirth
Some glimpses of the Renaissance reached buildings such as the Santiago de Compostela hospital, the Santa Cruz de Valladolid school (of Gothic origin but with Renaissance decoration); the façade of the University of Salamanca (architecturally pro-Renaissance and Plateresque decoration) and the chapter house of the Cathedral of Toledo (Cisneros style).
At the same time, in the time of Isabella I of Castilla, an urban and health reform took place that resulted in the construction of hospitals and other buildings at the service of the subjects with the aim of modernizing the old medieval cities. The Hospital of Santiago de Compostela, that of Granada and the hospital of Santa Cruz de Toledo stand out.
Arrival of the Renaissance
The renaissance arrived in Spain at the hands of the Mendoza family that was in Guadalajara. Gonzálo Yáñez de Mendoza, who is a humanist inserted in Gothic art, ordered the construction of the Colegio de San Gregorio de Valladolid.
The arrival of the emperor traumatizes Spanish society. A man of great sensitivity with precepts like Erasmus of Rotterdam or Adriano of Utrecht. He will have a decisive influence on Spanish art. Double perspective of the emperor, obsession with the universitas and Spain as the center of everything and another vision as a man of art and letters.
Charles I will renew the artistic language in the second half of the century, bringing multiple authors from Italy. Since the 40s of the 16th century, architectural policy has been delegated to Felipe II, prince at the moment. To create the new image of the city in keeping with the emperor and humanism, it was decided to modify the medieval fortresses. Concern for the renovation of the emperor's dwelling.
In 1537, he appointed Alonso de Covarrubias and Luis de Vega as architects of the royal works. They are going to remodel the Alcazares of Seville, they change the patio enormously. The great work is carried out in Granada, the house of Caesar in the West.
Baroque Art in Spain
Neoclassical Art in Spain
Contemporary art in Spain
Despite the great figure of Goya, Spanish painting of the XIX century was characterized by the continuity of academicism (Vicente López, the Madrazos), history painting being the most institutionally recognized genre, and its greatest prize, the stay at the Spanish Academy in Rome.
In the second half of the XIX century, the painters Mariano Fortuny and Joaquín Sorolla came close to the Impressionist break, while that in sculpture, Mariano Benlliure stands out. In architecture, after historicist styles such as Neomudéjar, it is eclecticism that presides over the turn of the century and Catalan modernism that makes the most advanced contributions, especially through Gaudí. In urban planning, mention must be made of the Plan Cerdá and the Ciudad Lineal.
The first third of the XX century has been called the Silver Age of Spanish letters and sciences, although older artists Recognized artists such as Pablo Ruiz Picasso, Julio González, Juan Gris, Joan Miró and Salvador Dalí produced their work in the Paris of the avant-garde. In the country itself, Julio Romero de Torres or Ignacio Zuloaga triumphed and architecture received the impact of the modern movement through GATEPAC.
In the postwar period, comics became the most popular medium in the country. A satirical streak can be traced both in the Bruguera School and in the films signed by Berlanga, while other filmmakers such as Buñuel work in exile. In a more avant-garde field, it is necessary to mention the artists Chillida, Pablo Serrano, Sáenz de Oíza or Tàpies, while in the official one neo-Herrerian architecture triumphs (Valley of the Fallen) and historical films such as those of CIFESA. Antonio Gades recovers flamenco dancing.
Franco's death put an end to censorship, and gave rise to an explosive cultural growth in some arts, especially in the audiovisual and graphic arts, such as comics and design, with phenomena such as Pedro Almodóvar, and the uncover. On the other hand, labels such as conceptual art, postmodernity or deconstruction have been extended to all kinds of media: installations, video art, cyber art and even digital art. gastronomy (Ferran Adrià). They enjoy, like cinema, great support, both public and private (ARCO, Guggenheim Bilbao, Goya Awards, etc.). Architects like Santiago Calatrava and dancers like Nacho Duato reach international projection, and new forms of leisure are imposed, such as video games.
Artistic disciplines
- Architecture
- Crafts
- Graphic arts
- Cinematography
- Dance of Spain
- Sculpture
- Photography
- Historieta
- Literature
- Music
- Painting
- Theatre
- Tauromaquia
Art museums
- Museo del Prado (Madrid).
- Reina Sofia Museum (Madrid).
- National Museum of Art of Catalonia (Barcelona).
- Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.
- ARTIUM Museum of Vitoria.
- Instituto Valenciano de Arte Moderno (Valencia).
- Pablo Serrano Museum (Zaragoza).
- Tenerife Espacio de las Artes de (Tenerife)
- José Guerrero Center. Museum of Contemporary Art. Granada.
- CAAM. Centro Atlántico de Arte Moderno. Gran Canaria.
- Caixanova Collection (permanent show in Vigo).
- National Archaeological Museum (Spain).
- Media Library of Media Art
- Centro Cultural Internacional Oscar Niemeyer in Asturias
World Heritage Sites in Spain
Unesco has included the following Spanish historical-artistic works and ensembles as World Heritage Sites, ordered by the year they were declared as such:
Works
- 1984 Güell Park, Palau Güell and Casa Milà in Barcelona, Spain.
- 1984 Monastery and Site of the Escorial, Madrid, Spain.
- 1984 Burgos Cathedral.
- 1984 The Alhambra, Generalife and Albaicín, Granada, Spain.
- 1985 Cave of Altamira in Cantabria.
- 1987 Cathedral, Alcazar and Archive of Indias of Seville (Spain).
- 1991 Poblet Monastery.
- 1993 The Royal Monastery of Santa Maria de Guadalupe.
- 1996 La Lonja de la seda de Valencia (Valencia).
- 1997 Palacio de la Música Catalana y Hospital de San Pablo, Barcelona, Spain.
- 1997 Monasteries of San Millán de Yuso and Suso.
- 1998 Alcala de Henares University and Historic Centre.
- 2000 Roman Wall of Lugo.
Sets
- 1984 Historical center of Córdoba, Spain.
- 1985 Monuments of Oviedo and the kingdom of Asturias.
- 1985 Old Town of Segovia (Spain) and its Segovia Aqueduct.
- 1985 Old Town of Santiago de Compostela (La Coruña).
- 1985 Old Town of Ávila (Spain) and extra-muros churches.
- 1986, 2001 Mudejar architecture of Aragon.
- 1986 Old Town of Cáceres.
- 1986 Historical City of Toledo, Spain.
- 1988 Old Town of Salamanca.
- 1993 Archaeological group of Mérida, Spain.
- 1993 The Camino de Santiago de Compostela.
- 1998 Rupestre Art of the Mediterranean Arc of the Iberian Peninsula
- 1996 Fortified historical city of Cuenca, Spain.
- 2000 Archaeological group of Tarragona (Tarragona) and Romanesque churches of the Boí Valley.
- 2001 Aranjuez cultural landscape.
- 2003 Cities of Baeza and Ubeda.
Contenido relacionado
Iberian Peninsula
The Wolf (1941 film)
Castile and Leon