Marina's TravelsThe Voyages & Discoveries of a Young Woman

Spanish Art History: Velazquez to Picasso

§ July 29th, 2014 § Filed under Spain, Spain - Madrid § 1 Comment

It is the last day of classes, and all that awaits me tomorrow are finals and goodbyes. I thought it would be a good opportunity, as I have finished all of my coursework, note-taking, museum visits, and presentations, to reflect on my experience in the most enjoyable class of the three in which I enrolled: Spanish Art History II – 1700 to the Present.

Taught by Professor Patricia Espinosa, Spanish Art History was both a survey course, analyzing artwork over several centuries, as well as an in-depth study of specific painters. Because we had such a short time-frame (July 4 – July 29), it would have been impossible and unfeasible to cover every single Spanish artist within the 300 years allotted for the course. The main figures we spent the most time on were Velazquez, Goya, Gaudi, and Picasso, though we also did a general survey of El Greco, Ribalta, Ribera, Zurbaran, Dalí, and Miro. In addition to Spanish painters, it was necessary to study some other artists from the various art historical eras in order to better understand where our Spanish artists stood in relation to the rest of the art world. These non-Spaniards included Titian, Rubens, Boucher, Watteau, David, and many more.

The class consisted of only four students, the smallest class I’ve ever had! Of the four, I was the only one to have a background in Art History (it being my major, and all) and so I guess one could say I had the upper hand in understanding the background and context to many of these works. But even with my foreknowledge, I learned a lot of new things. Not only did I see new paintings, but I also learned different interpretations to old ones!

Boucher – The Blonde Odalesque
This, for example, is one of the paintings that elicited quite the reaction from my peers. I, on the other hand, absolutely love this painting by the Rococo artist!

Also, coming from New York, I have been exposed to a lot more art than the other students in my class. But more than my surroundings, it is because I have a curious family that is always interested in learning more about everything. From a young age, my grandparents have always taken me to art museums, and my mother has always showed an interest in art. Now, as I grow older and more mature/knowledgeable in my appreciation of the arts, my mother is growing with me, and her thirst and curiosity for the art world has increased exponentially. In conclusion, I have always been, and will always be surrounded by art and culture. This also means that I have been exposed to a lot of things in my life. Why do I mention this? Perhaps it is because of a lack of exposure, but many of the images that were presented to us in class startled and shocked the other students. Basic nudes produced an audible and visible discomfort among the others, where as for me, they were ordinary images, if not enjoyable to my eye. Though I was surprised by the reaction of my peers, it also made me appreciate how much I’ve experienced in my life in the art world. I also had to come to acknowledge that everyone is different and that being on a study abroad program has exposed me to people from all over the United States and people who have grown up in different families and cultures than I have. The great thing, though, is that even though some of the images may have raised disgusted or shocked reactions, my fellow students never lost their spark of curiosity. I loved seeing their keen interest in the artwork they were seeing. Perhaps it even made me realize how jaded I might be when it comes to looking at art – it takes a lot to surprise or shock me.

Vale, let’s continue! While a lot of the class was traditional lecture-style, we also made multiple trips to the three main museums that Madrid has to offer. I visited the Prado four times, the Thyssen Collection once, and the Reina Sofia once. It is quite strange that when people think of the art world, they look towards Italy, France, and New York. Madrid holds the largest and greatest collection of art in the world! The museums are huge, and the content, though strong in quantity, is not lacking in quality! The Prado is filled with the masterpieces by Velazquez and Goya – rooms and rooms filled with their work! And I am only mentioning the major museums. Churches, palaces, and smaller museums also hold grand paintings by artists just as reputable.

I learned so much about the lives of the BIG Spanish artists, and it is only because of the great teacher I had – Patricia Espinosa. She came to every class with a smile, and an amazing energy. Yes, her accent was very thick, and at times, she couldn’t think of the words she wanted to say in English, but it was a great laugh teaching her new words and figuring out what she was trying to say. The way she acted things out – the action of painterly brush-strokes or the way an aristocrat must have walked in her big dress – always solicited our grins. I would describe her as a “future-me:” short stature, short hair, and a lover of art!

I guess now would be as good a time as ever to show you some of my favorite pieces of art from the past several weeks!

For further information on The Fable of Arachne: Technique-wise, Velazquez uses free and compact brushwork, and also something called BURRON – fuzziness on the faces of the figures. In the 19th or 20th century, an art historian realized that the tapestry in the background looked like Rubens’ Rape of Europe. Not only did this show Velazquez’s acknowledgement of his predecessors (Titian included, as Rubens was copying his free brushwork while visiting Madrid), but it also added another meaning to the painting (originally considered a genre painting entitled The Tapestry Weavers). With this new discovery, as well as the appearance of a figure clad with helmet (in the background), it is apparent that this painting is a depiction of the Fable of Arachne. Athena (the helmeted figure) grows jealous and angry with Arachne because she proves to be a better tapestry weaver than the goddess. The craftswoman’s punishment is that she is turned into a spider, destined to “spin tapestries” forever. In the fable, Arachne’s original tapestry that angers Athena is one depicting the scene of the Rape of Europe. It is also interesting that perhaps the painting shows two scenes – the foreground representing the tapestry competition between goddess and mortal, and the background representing the punishment. Analyzed biographically, the painting can also be interpreted as the injustice placed on artists. Because artists work with their hands, they were not considered a part of the “liberal arts” and therefore were not able to gain status as an aristocrat. Velazquez’s life goal was to enhance his societal status, and this desire is apparent in a lot of his paintings.

For further information on Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee Around a Pomegranate a Second Before Awakening (I wrote a short paper and gave a presentation at the Thyssen Museum on this painting): Formal Analysis on Dalí’s Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee