108- Identity: the
building blocks of
2. Literature
and philosophy
3. Art and
architecture
4. Performing
arts
5. Cinema
and fashion
6. Media and
communications
7. Food and drink 8. Living culture:
the details of
It’s been emotional: a national style
As befits cultural life on a peninsula,
the visual arts in Spain have developed
some distinct national characteristics.
For centuries subject matter was a
peculiarly reverent affair, bearing a deep-
seated and didactic mysticism that
managed to eclipse the piety of post-
medieval art on show elsewhere in Europe.
Domestic scenes and still life paintings
were traditionally all that was offered as
an alternative. A distinct Spanish style of
painting also evolved, even while modes
and techniques of course varied and foreign
influences made themselves known.
The Spanish ‘way’ has typically carried
a rich expression, in which the portrayal
of character, often racked with mental
or physical anguish, is given dark, vivid
attention.Threatening, dramatic and
gripping, it’s not for the faint-hearted.How the Spanish view their art
The Spanish are well aware of their artistic heritage, eager to enjoy the
legacy of old masters but also keen to taste fresh meat. Madrid’s Prado
remains the elder statesman of galleries but a rich slew of new venues have
surfaced since the revival of democracy; the Centro de Arte Reina Sofía,
newish home to Picasso’sGuernica(the artist insisted it remain on foreign
soil until Franco was gone) and the MuseoThyssen-Bornemisza, both in
Madrid, are among the biggest. Out in the regions the Guggenheim, its
beguiling building as famous as the modern work within, has put Bilbao on
the international art map, while centres like the Museu Nacional d’Art de
Catalunya and galleries dedicated to Picasso, Dalí, Miró andTàpies, have all
made Catalonia a popular destination for art tourists. Further down the scale,
most decent sized towns have a municipal gallery or something more
commercial to showcase local talent.
3.1.1 Painting the Spanish way
“ART IS A LIE THAT MAKES
US REALISE TRUTH.”
Pablo Picasso