Spanish Art: The Early Renaissance

The term renaissance, literally meaning rebirth, was a great revival of classical philosophy an art that began in the Italian town of Florence. In the fourteenth century, when it all began included this movement of extreme originality in aesthetics, although the four past centuries were simply based on classical inspiration. The fifteenth century brought what is now called the Early Renaissance; its first constructions by the Florentine architect Filippo Brunelleschi, in which it established a high standard for the Renaissance. Materials and colors were kept minimal, and important structures were emphasized in gray. Spaces thoughtfully composed, its parts and their interrelationships were artfully articulated. The first half of the sixteenth
century is considered the High Renaissance. Classical forms were revived, with beauty of line and mass more important than surface enrichment. The second half was called the Late Renaissance; its chief style was given the name of Mannerism, characterized by the introduction of unexpected details: overlapping, crowding, and deliberate distortions of the established rules of composition. Simply meaning, a less rational type of design was used classical elements but in less conventional ways. The seventeenth century saw the birth of the style Baroque, wall surfaces, inside and out, we’re given surprising concavities and convexities, and designs were dominated by vivacity, optical illusion, and florid ornament. While still using the classical orders, the baroque spirit was far removed from the classical simplicity and was instead full of motion and emotion. The style baroque all through Italy succeeded in the eighteenth century by the Rococo, which brought new levels of novelty and lyricism. Design became lighter and more graceful, with curved line preferred to the straight, the pale color to the strong, and the small salon and boudoir more fashionable than the grand salone. The last half of the eighteenth century was influenced by the excavation of Italy’s ancient cities and a consequent passion for the antique.
In many respects, the Spanish style in design is one of formality, dignity and vigor.
Spanish style was influenced not only by the characters of Spain’s component regions, but by relationships with foreign countries and their customs, geography and climate and religion. The most dramatic and most lasting influence from abroad came from the Moors, Islamic people from North Africa who conquered most of Iberia in A.D. 711 and who maintained a degree of control there until 1492. Two f the world’s great religions, Islam and Christianity, have dominated the history of Spain, and much Spanish history is the record of their violent struggles against each other. Spanish art combines both influences. It all began with work done by the Moors, mostly in southern Spain, after their arrival from North Africa in 711. Moorish design in Spain shared many of the characteristics we saw in Islamic design, but it was naturally influenced by its Spanish setting. Some of the elements of this architecture are at relevant terms and then at specific examples of the style. The chief focus of Moorish buildings was invariably on the interior, exterior surfaces in the other hand were blank, plain, and
unadorned.
Leaving the first time visitor without anticipation of the richly decorated wonders they enclose.
Some have seen this plain brown wrapper approach as a form of security, hiding interior treasures from the view of potential thieves. Others have seen it as a part of a dating from the desert tents of nomadic Arabs, blank canvas tent flaps exposed to the sun, sand, and wind, but tent interior filled with luxurious hangings, beautiful rugs, and colorful cushions. Moorish buildings and their interiors share some elements not generally found elsewhere. Among these are horseshoe arch, its name explains itself. Ogee arch, an S shaped curve both sides of the arch have combinations of convex and concave sections, mostly used in Christian architecture of the middle ages throughout Europe. And lastly the scalloped arch, or also called the multifoil arch, a series of small curves within the main curve of the arch. Scalloped arches are mostly seen in the Mughal architecture of India, mosques and also in secular buildings and even Christian ones. While the moors in southern Spain were building their elegant palaces and impressive mosques, the Christians in northern Spain were building in a style closely related to the Gothic work we have seen north of the Pyrenees. Two major expressions of the style were castles and
cathedrals.