- This article is about the Spanish Golden Age of the 15th-17th centuries.
- For the earlier Golden Age of Islamic culture and Jewish culture in Spain, see Al-Andalus. For the period of Spanish cultural flourishing in the 17th century see Spanish Golden Age. Al-Andalus (الأندلس was the Arabic name given to those parts of the Iberian Peninsula governed by Muslims or
The Spanish Golden Age (in Spanish, Siglo de Oro) was a period of flourishing in arts and literature in Spain, coinciding with the political rise and decline of the Spanish Habsburg dynasty. Habsburg Spain refers to the history of Spain over the 16th and 17th centuries (1516-1700 when this country was ruled by the Habsburg dynasty (also associated to This term does not generally imply any great precision about dates, but it begins no earlier than 1492, with the completion of the reconquista and the voyages of Christopher Columbus to the New World, and politically ends no later than the Treaty of the Pyrenees between France and Habsburg Spain in 1659. The Reconquista (a Spanish and Portuguese word for "Reconquest" Arabic: الاسترداد, "Recapturing" was a period Christopher Columbus (1451 &ndash May 20 1506 was an Italian Navigator, colonizer The New World is one of the names used for the non-Eurasian/non-African parts of the Earth specifically the Americas and Australia. The Treaty of the Pyrenees was signed in 1659 to end the war between France and Spain that had begun in 1635 during the Thirty Years' War. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Habsburg Spain refers to the history of Spain over the 16th and 17th centuries (1516-1700 when this country was ruled by the Habsburg dynasty (also associated to The last great writer of the period, Pedro Calderon de la Barca, died in 1681 and his death is usually considered as the end of the Spanish Golden "Century" in the arts and literature. Pedro Calderón de la Barca y Henao ( January 17, 1600 &ndash May 25, 1681) was a Dramatist of the Spanish Golden
The Habsburgs, both in Spain and Austria, were great patrons of art in their countries. Habsburg Spain refers to the history of Spain over the 16th and 17th centuries (1516-1700 when this country was ruled by the Habsburg dynasty (also associated to Habsburg Monarchy (alternatively Habsburg Empire) refers to the territories ruled by the Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg, and then by the successor El Escorial, the great royal monastery built by King Philip II of Spain, invited the attention of some of Europe's greatest architects and painters. El Escorial is one of the Spanish royal sites and functions as a monastery royal palace museum and school Philip II (Felipe II de España Filipe I ( May 21, 1527 &ndash September 13 1598) was King of Spain from 1556 until 1598 Diego Velázquez, regarded as one of the most influential painters of European history and a greatly respected artist in his own time, cultivated a relationship with King Philip IV and his chief minister, the Count-Duke of Olivares, leaving us several portraits that demonstrate his style and skill. Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez ( June 6, 1599 &ndash August 6, 1660) was a Spanish painter who was the leading Don Gaspar de Guzmán y Pimentel Count of Olivares and Duke of Sanlúcar (Gaspar de Guzmán y Pimentel conde-duque de Olivares also known as es ''Conde de Olivares y El Greco, another respected artist from the period, infused Spanish art with the styles of the Italian renaissance and helped create a uniquely Spanish style of painting. El Greco' ("The Greek " 1541 &ndash April 7 1614 was a painter, sculptor, and architect of the Spanish Renaissance Some of Spain's greatest music is regarded as having been written in the period. Such composers as Tomás Luis de Victoria, Luis de Milán and Alonso Lobo helped to shape Renaissance music and the styles of counterpoint and polychoral music, and their influence lasted far into the Baroque period which resulted in a revolution of music. Tomás Luis de Victoria (sometimes spelled 'da Vittoria' (1548 &ndash August 20, 1611) was a Spanish composer of the late Renaissance. Luis de Milán (c 1500 &ndash 1561 or possibly later was a Spanish Renaissance composer vihuelist (instrument similar to the guitar) and Alonso Lobo ( February 25, 1555 – April 5, 1617) was a Spanish composer of the late Renaissance. Renaissance music is European music written during the Renaissance, approximately 1400 - 1600 In Music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in contour and Rhythm, and interdependent in Harmony This article is about the musical term See Antiphon (person the orator of ancient Greece Baroque music describes an era and a set of styles of European classical music which were in widespread use between approximately 1600 and 1750. Spanish literature blossomed as well, most famously demonstrated in the work of Miguel de Cervantes, the author of Don Quixote de la Mancha. Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra ( in modern Spanish; September 29, 1547 &ndash April 22, 1616) was a Spanish Novelist es '''''Don Quixote''''' (, see spelling and pronunciation below fully titled es '''''El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha''''' ("The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Spain's most prolific playwright, Lope de Vega, wrote possibly as many as one thousand plays during his lifetime, of which over four hundred survive to the present day. Lope de Vega (also Félix Lope de Vega y Carpio or Lope Félix de Vega Carpio) ( 25 November 1562 &ndash 27 August 1635
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Painting
Spain, in the time of the Italian Renaissance, had seen few great artists come to its shores. The Italian Renaissance began the opening phase of the Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement in Europe that spanned the period from the end of the 14th The Italian holdings and relationships made by Queen Isabella's husband and later Spain's sole monarch, Ferdinand of Aragon, launched a steady traffic of intellectuals across the Mediterranean between Valencia, Seville, and Florence. Ferdinand of Aragon may refer to Ferdinand I of Aragon, also known as Ferdinand of Antequera (r Valencia ( Valencian: València, Valencia Spanish phonology --> is the capital of the Spanish autonomous Seville ( Spanish: Sevilla, see also different names) is the artistic cultural and financial capital of southern Spain. Florence ( Italian: Firenze Florentia and Fiorenza) is the Capital City of the Italian region of Tuscany Luis de Morales, one of the leading exponents of Spanish mannerist painting, retained a distinctly Spanish style in his work, reminiscent of medieval art. Luis de Morales (1510? - May 9 1586) was a Spanish painter born in Badajoz, Extremadura. Mannerism is a period of European art which emerged from the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520. Spanish art, particularly that of Morales, contained a strong mark of mysticism and religion that was encouraged by the counter-reformation and the patronage of Spain's strongly Catholic monarchs and aristocracy. The Counter-Reformation (also Catholic Reformation denotes the period of Catholic revival from the pontificate of Pope Pius IV in 1560 to the close of the
El Greco
Widely regarded as having the greatest impact in bringing the Italian Renaissance to Spain, El Greco, as his name implies (it means The Greek), was not Spanish at all, but was born Domenikos Theotokopoulos in Crete. El Greco' ("The Greek " 1541 &ndash April 7 1614 was a painter, sculptor, and architect of the Spanish Renaissance El Greco' ("The Greek " 1541 &ndash April 7 1614 was a painter, sculptor, and architect of the Spanish Renaissance Crete ( Greek: Κρήτη transliteration: Krētē, modern transliteration Kriti) is the largest of the Greek islands and the He studied the great Italian masters of his time - Titian, Tintoretto, and Michaelangelo - when he lived in Italy from 1568 to 1577. Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio (c 1485 &ndash August 27 1576 better known as Titian, was the leading painter of the 16th-century Venetian Tintoretto (real name Jacopo Comin; September 29, 1518 - May 31, 1594) was one of the greatest painters of the Venetian school and Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni Two biographies were published of him during his lifetime One of them by Giorgio Vasari, proposed that he was the pinnacle of all According to legend[1], after asserting that he would paint a mural as good as one of Michaelangelo's if they demolished one of the Italian artist's, El Greco quickly fell out of favor in Italy, and soon found a new home in the city of Toledo in southern Spain. Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni Two biographies were published of him during his lifetime One of them by Giorgio Vasari, proposed that he was the pinnacle of all Toledo Spain locationpng|thumb|right|200px|Location of Toledo in Spain He was influential in creating a style based on impressions and emotion, with elongated fingers and vibrant color and brushwork. His paintings of the city of Toledo became models for a new European tradition in landscapes, influencing the work of the later Dutch masters. "Dutch Masters" redirects here for the cigar see Dutch Masters (cigar.
Diego Velázquez
He was born in June 6, 1599, in Seville. Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez ( June 6, 1599 &ndash August 6, 1660) was a Spanish painter who was the leading Both parents were from the minor nobility. He was the oldest of six children. Diego Velázquez is widely regarded as one of Spain's most important and influential artists. Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez ( June 6, 1599 &ndash August 6, 1660) was a Spanish painter who was the leading He was a court painter for King Philip IV and found increasingly high demand for his portraits from statesmen, aristocrats, and clergymen across Europe. Philip IV (es ''Felipe IV'' pt ''Filipe III'' ( 8 April, 1605 &ndash 17 September, 1665) was King of Spain between 1621 and His portraits of the King, his chief minister, the Count-duke of Olivares, and the Pope himself demonstrated a belief in artistic realism and a style comparable to many of the Dutch masters. "Dutch Masters" redirects here for the cigar see Dutch Masters (cigar. In the wake of the Thirty Years' War, Velázquez met the Marqués de Spinola and painted his famous Surrender of Breda celebrating Spinola's earlier victory. For the Mauritanian Thirty Years' War see Char Bouba war. For the band see The 30 Years War. Don Ambrogio Spinola Doria marqués de los Balbases (1569&ndash September 25, 1630) was an Italian general at the service of Spain The Siege of Breda is the name for two major sieges of the Eighty Years' War and Thirty Years' War. Spinola was struck by his ability to express emotion through realism in both his portraits and landscapes; his work in the latter, in which he launched one of European art's first experiments in outdoor lighting, became another lasting influence on Western painting. Velázquez's friendship with Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, a leading Spanish painter of the next generation, ensured the enduring influence of his artistic approach. This article is about the painter Bartolomé Esteban Murillo There is also an article on the Canadian village Murillo Ontario, which was named after the artist due to
Velazquez's most famous painting, however, is the celebrated Las Meninas, in which the artist includes himself as one of the subjects. Las Meninas ( Spanish for The Maids of Honour) is a 1656 painting by Diego Velázquez (1599–1660 the leading artist of the
Francisco de Zurbarán
The religious element in Spanish art, in many circles, grew in importance with the counter-reformation. Francisco de Zurbarán ( November 7 1598 &ndash August 27 1664) was a Spanish painter. The austere, ascetic, and severe work of Francisco de Zurbarán exemplified this thread in Spanish art, along with the work of composer Tomás Luis de Victoria. Francisco de Zurbarán ( November 7 1598 &ndash August 27 1664) was a Spanish painter. Tomás Luis de Victoria (sometimes spelled 'da Vittoria' (1548 &ndash August 20, 1611) was a Spanish composer of the late Renaissance. Philip IV actively patronized artists who agreed with his views on the counter-reformation and religion. The mysticism of Zurbarán's work - influenced by Saint Theresa of Avila - became a hallmark of Spanish art in later generations. For other saints with similar names please see Saint Teresa. Saint Teresa of Ávila, known in religion as Saint Teresa of Jesus and Influenced by Caravaggio and the Italian masters, Zurbarán devoted himself to an artistic expression of religion and faith. Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, usually just known as Caravaggio, (28 September 1571 – 18 July 1610 was an Italian Artist active in Rome His paintings of St. Francis of Assisi, the immaculate conception, and the crucifixion of Christ reflected a third facet of Spanish culture in the seventeenth century, against the backdrop of religious pie war across Europe. For the opera by Olivier Messiaen see Saint-François d'Assise. For dogmatic context see Roman Catholic Mariology. For artistic depictions see Roman Catholic Marian art. Crucifixion (from Latin crucifixio, noun of process crucifixio, from perfect passive participle crucifixus, fixed to a cross from Christ is the English term for the Greek ( Khristós) meaning "the anointed " Zurbarán broke from Velázquez's sharp realist interpretation of art and looked, to some extent, to the emotive content of El Greco and the earlier mannerist painters for inspiration and technique, though Zurbarán respected and maintained the lighting and physical nuance of Velázquez. El Greco' ("The Greek " 1541 &ndash April 7 1614 was a painter, sculptor, and architect of the Spanish Renaissance
Other significant painters
- Bartolomé Esteban Murillo
- Luis de Morales
- José de Ribera
- Juan Sánchez Cotán
- Juan van der Hamen
- Francisco Ribalta
- Juan de Valdés Leal
Music
Tomás Luis de Victoria
Tomás Luis de Victoria, a Spanish composer of the sixteenth century, mainly of choral music, is widely regarded as one of the greatest Spanish classical composers. Tomás Luis de Victoria (sometimes spelled 'da Vittoria' (1548 &ndash August 20, 1611) was a Spanish composer of the late Renaissance. He joined the cause of Ignatius of Loyola in the fight against the Reformation and in 1575 became a priest. Saint Ignatius redirects here for other Saints see Ignatius. Ignatius of Loyola, also known as Íñigo Oñaz López de Loyola The Protestant Reformation was a reform movement in Europe that began in 1517 though its roots lie further back in time He lived for a short time in Italy, where he became acquainted with the polyphonic work of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (between 3 February 1525 and 2 February 1526 - 2 February 1594 was an Italian Composer of the Renaissance. Like Zurbaran, Victoria mixed the technical qualities of Italian art with the religion and culture of his native Spain. He invigorated his work with emotional appeal and experimental, mystical rhythm and choruses. He broke from the dominant tendency among his contemporaries by avoiding complex counterpoint, preferring longer, simpler, less technical and more mysterious melodies, employing dissonance in ways that the Italian members of the Roman School shunned. The Roman school is the education system of the Ancient Rome. He demonstrated considerable invention in musical thought by connecting the tone and emotion of his music to those of his lyrics, particularly in his motets. In Western music, motet is a word that is applied to a number of highly varied choral musical compositions Like Velázquez, Victoria was employed by the monarch - in Victoria's case, in the service of the queen. The requiem he wrote upon her death in 1603 is regarded as one of his most enduring and mature works. The Requiem (from Latin requiem, accusative case of requies, rest or Requiem Mass (informally a funeral Mass also known formally (in Latin as the
Alonso Lobo
Victoria's work was complemented by Alonso Lobo - a man Victoria respected as his equal. es '''''Don Quixote''''' (, see spelling and pronunciation below fully titled es '''''El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha''''' ("The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Honoré Daumier ( February 26, 1808 &ndash February 10, 1879) was a French Printmaker, Caricaturist, Alonso Lobo ( February 25, 1555 – April 5, 1617) was a Spanish composer of the late Renaissance. Lobo's work - also choral and religious in its content - stressed the austere, minimalist nature of religious music. Lobo sought out a medium between the emotional intensity of Victoria and the technical ability of Palestrina; the solution he found became the foundation of the baroque musical style in Spain. Palestrina (ancient Praeneste) is an ancient city and Comune (municipality with a population of about 18000 in Lazio, c
Literature
- Further information: Spanish Baroque literature
The Spanish Golden Age was a time of great flourishing in poetry, prose and drama. Spanish Baroque literature is the Literature written in Spain during the Baroque.
Cervantes and Don Quixote
Regarded by many as one of the finest works in any language, El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes was one of the first novels published in Europe; it gave Cervantes a stature in the Spanish-speaking world comparable to his contemporary William Shakespeare in English. es '''''Don Quixote''''' (, see spelling and pronunciation below fully titled es '''''El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha''''' ("The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra ( in modern Spanish; September 29, 1547 &ndash April 22, 1616) was a Spanish Novelist William Shakespeare ( baptised The novel, like Spain itself, was caught between the Middle Ages and the modern world. A veteran of the Battle of Lepanto (1571), Cervantes had fallen on hard times in the late 1590s and was imprisoned for debt in 1597, and some believe that during these years he began work on his best-remembered novel. The first part of the novel was published in 1605; the second in 1615, a year before the author's death. Don Quixote resembled both the medieval, chivalric romances of an earlier time and the novels of the early modern world. It parodied classical morality and chivalry, found comedy in knighthood, and criticized social structures and the perceived madness of Spain's rigid society. The work has endured to the present day as a landmark in world literary history, and it was an immediate international hit in its own time, interpreted variously as a satirical comedy, social commentary and forbearer of self-referential literature.
Lope de Vega and Spanish drama
A contemporary of Cervantes, Lope de Vega consolidated the essential genres and structures which would characterize the Spanish commercial drama, also known as the "Comedia", throughout the 17th century. Lope de Vega (also Félix Lope de Vega y Carpio or Lope Félix de Vega Carpio) ( 25 November 1562 &ndash 27 August 1635 Lope de Vega (also Félix Lope de Vega y Carpio or Lope Félix de Vega Carpio) ( 25 November 1562 &ndash 27 August 1635 While Lope de Vega wrote prose and poetry as well, he is best remembered for his plays, particularly those grounded in Spanish history. Like Cervantes, Lope de Vega served with the Spanish army and was fascinated with the Spanish nobility. In the hundreds of plays he wrote, with settings ranging from the Biblical times to legendary Spanish history to classical mythology to his own time, Lope de Vega frequently took a comical approach just as Cervantes did, taking a conventional moral play and dressing it up in good humor and cynicism. His stated goal was to entertain the public, much as Cervantes's was. In bringing morality, comedy, drama, and popular wit together, Lope de Vega is often compared to his English contemporary Shakespeare. Some have argued that as a social critic, Lope de Vega attacked, like Cervantes, many of the ancient institutions of his country - aristocracy, chivalry, and rigid morality, among others. The Lope de Vega and Cervantes represented an alternative artistic perspective to the religious asceticism of Francisco Zurbarán. Lope de Vega's "cloak-and-sword" plays, which mingled intrigue, romance, and comedy together were carried on by his literary successor, Pedro Calderón de la Barca, in the later seventeenth century. Pedro Calderón de la Barca y Henao ( January 17, 1600 &ndash May 25, 1681) was a Dramatist of the Spanish Golden Other well-known playwrights of the period include: Tirso de Molina; Agustín Moreto; Juan Pérez de Montalbán; Juan Ruiz de Alarcón; Guillén de Castro and Antonio Mira de Amescua. Tirso de Molina (October 1571? - March 12, 1648) was a Spanish Baroque Dramatist and poet Agustín Moreto y Cavana (April 1618 - October 28, 1669) was a Spanish Dramatist and Playwright. Juan Pérez de Montalbán ( 1602 - June 25, 1638) Spanish Dramatist, Poet and Novelist, was born at Madrid Juan Ruiz de Alarcón y Mendoza (1581? Real de Taxco, now in Guerrero - August 4, 1639) one of the greatest Spanish-American dramatists Guillén de Castro y Bellvis (1569 &ndash July 28, 1631) was a Spanish Dramatist of the Spanish Golden Age. Antonio Mira de Amescua (1578? &ndash 1636? Spanish Dramatist, was born at Guadix ( Granada) about 1578
Poetry
This period also produced some of the most important Spanish works of poetry. Mystical literature in Spanish reached its summit with the works of San Juan de la Cruz and Teresa of Ávila. For another saint who lived around the same time and area see John of Avila. For other saints with similar names please see Saint Teresa. Saint Teresa of Ávila, known in religion as Saint Teresa of Jesus and Baroque poetry was dominated by the contrasting styles of Francisco de Quevedo and Luis de Góngora; both had a lasting influence on subsequent writers, and even on the Spanish language itself[1]. Francisco Gómez de Quevedo y Santibáñez Villegas ( Madrid, September 14, 1580 &ndash Villanueva de los Infantes, September 8, Luis de Góngora y Argote ( July 11, 1561 &ndash May 24, 1627) was a Spanish Baroque lyric Poet.
Other significant authors
The picaresque genre flourished in this era, describing the life of pícaros, living by their wits in a decadent society. The picaresque novel ( Spanish: "picaresca", from "pícaro", for " Rogue " or " Rascal " is a One example is El buscón, by Francisco de Quevedo. El Buscón (full title Historia de la vida del Buscón llamado Don Pablos ejemplo de vagamundos y espejo de tacaños (literally History of the life
- Alonso de Ercilla wrote the epic poem, La Araucana, about the Spanish conquest of Chile. Alonso de Ercilla y Zúñiga ( Madrid August 7, 1533 &ndash November 29, 1594 in Madrid Spanish nobleman soldier and La Araucana is an epic poem in Spanish about the Spanish conquest of Chile, by Alonso de Ercilla; it is also known in English as The The Spanish colonization of the Americas was Spain 's conquest settlement and rule over much of the Western hemisphere. Chile, officially the Republic of Chile ( Spanish:) is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow Coastal strip wedged between the
- Gil Vicente was Portuguese but his influence on Spanish playwriting was so wide that he is often considered part of the Spanish Golden Era. Gil Vicente (ˈʒil viˈsentɨ (1465 &ndash 1537 called the Trobadour, was a Portuguese Playwright and Poet who Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula.
See also
- Al-Andalus (Golden Age of Islamic culture in Spain)
- Golden Age of Jewish culture in Spain (during the earlier Islamic domination)
- Spanish Renaissance
- History of Spain
- School of Salamanca
- Spanish Empire
References
- ^ Dámaso Alonso, La lengua poética de Góngora (Madrid: Revista de Filología Española, 1950), 112. Al-Andalus (الأندلس was the Arabic name given to those parts of the Iberian Peninsula governed by Muslims or For the period of Spanish cultural flourishing in the 17th century see Spanish Golden Age. This article is about the Spanish Renaissance of the 15th-16th centuries The History of Spain spans the period from Prehistoric Iberia, through the rise and fall of the first global empire, to Spain's current position The School of Salamanca is the Renaissance of thought in diverse intellectual areas by Spanish theologians, rooted in the intellectual and pedagogical The Spanish Empire (Imperio Español was one of the largest Empires in history and one of the first Global empires In the 15th and 16th centuries
- Dámaso Alonso, La lengua poética de Góngora (Madrid: Revista de Filología Española, 1950), 112.
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