Spanish Art and Cultural Heritage

INTRODUCTION:

This course gives an overall view of the art history of Spain from prehistoric times to the present, dealing in more detail with the Baroque period, Modernism and 20th century art. There will be regular visits to museums in order to keep the course as close to real artistic practice as possible. However, this course also has a special focus on the theory aspects of Art History, which we will develop throughout the in-class sessions. Attendance to class and oral participation is very important, and all students are expected to contribute to the class development with their questions and commentaries, and preparing beforehand reading assignments and visits to exhibitions. These tasks will be discussed in class.

REQUIREMENTS:

     - Fluent in English

CONTENTS:

     - Pre-roman Art in the Iberian Peninsula. Cave Painting. Iberian Art

     - The Greek presence in the Iberian Peninsula

     - Hispanic Roman Art

     - Islamic Art: from the Caliphate of Córdoba to the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada

     - Visigoth Art- Pre-Romanesque Art

     - Romanesque Art. Social context; Architecture

     - Gothic Art. Social context; Painting, Sculpture and Architecture

     - The Renaissance. Social Context; Painting, Sculpture & Architecture; Plateresco

     - Mannerism: El Greco. The transition to the Baroque period.

     - The Baroque period: the art of Counter-Reformation. Social context; Architecture

     - Baroque painting (I): The Valencia school; The Seville school; The Madrid school

     - Baroque painting (II): Diego Velázquez 

     - Rococo and the 18th century: Francisco de Goya

     - Modernism and Antoni Gaudi

     - 20th century sculpture and painting: Pablo Ruiz Picasso, Salvador Dalí and Joan Miró

     - Spanish Contemporary Visual Arts