Contemporary Spanish Art

Description
This subject analyzes the historical evolution of Spanish art during the contemporary era, including the art of the end of the Ancien Régime, with the study of neoclassicism and the work of Francisco Goya; the art of the 19th century, with the analysis of the principal trends in painting and sculpture (romanticism, realism, impressionism, modernism), as well as the historicist, eclectic and modernist architectural styles, especially focusing on the works of Antonio Gaudí; and the art of the 20th century and beginning of the 21st, analyzing both the art of the historic avant-garde – particularly the work of Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí and Joan Miró – and the evolution of the plastic arts from the post-war period to today, as well as the development of Spanish architecture during this period.

The specific aims of the subject are:
- To get to know and understand critically the process of contemporary Spanish art’s historic evolution.
- To identify and characterize each one of the artistic styles in the history of Spanish art during this period.
- To highlight the study of the principle Spanish artists and their role in contemporary art.
- Relate each of the periods and artistic styles with the political, social, economic and cultural aspects occurring in Spain during the Contemporary Age.
- Evaluate artistic expression as one of the essential expressions for the understanding of Spanish history and culture.
- Acquire a basic knowledge of artistic vocabulary in Spanish.

Content
1. Spanish art at the end of the Ancien Régime (1770-1833): from neoclassicism to Goya.
2. Romantic painting during the liberal period (1833-1874): costumbrismo, landscape and portrait.
3. Architecture during the second half of the 19th century: historicism, eclecticism and modernism. The oeuvre of Antonio Gaudí.
4. The plastic arts in the Restoration (1874-1902): history painting, realism, impressionism and modernism.
5. The pictorial tradition up to the Civil War (1902-1939): the regionalisms.
6. The artistic avant-garde and the renovation of Spanish art up to the end of the Civil War (1901-1939): from Picasso to Dalí.
7. The plastic arts from the postwar to current day (1939-2010): abstraction, informalist experience, neo-figurative art, conceptual art, action art and digital art.
8. Spanish architecture from the 20th century to the start of the 21st: between tradition and modernity.

Assessment
ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION: 20%
MID-TERM EXAM: 40%
FINAL EXAM: 40%