Cultuurkunde Spanje

Jeroen Timmermans
4022262
jeroen.timmermans@student.ru.nl
Dr. L. Najera
December 18, 2013
1518 words

The representation of Spanish national identity

in early twentieth-century arts and culture
Thinking about a country, one immediately thinks in stereotypes. The extent in which these
correspond with reality may vary, but they do always contain an element of truth. Spain for
example, is inextricably bound up with the image of a place full of orange trees, a place that
embraces bullfighting and where they dance the flamenco both day and night.

Why do we think about Spain this way? How has Spain, together with his arts, contributed to
this image? And what is the purpose of creating and propagating a national identity?
To understand why certain images keep returning, in for example Spanish painting of the
twentieth century, one has to examine the history of the country itself.

What is it exactly that has characterized Spain since its existence? In the light of ten concepts
that are interwoven with Spain, I will interpret works of art related to that specific concept.
Each concept will be discussed in its own short chapter. A concept can be an historical event,
as well a cultural manifestation. Their appearance is arbitrary. I will end with a conclusion.

1. Christianity (Roman Catholicism)

Spain has a tradition of two dominant religions:

Christianity and Islam. When the Iberians came,
Roman Catholicism was the common religion.
This changed when the Moors conquered Spain
(which was now named Al-Andalus). All of a
sudden, everyone had to obey the Muslim laws
or leave the country. When the Moorish Empire
fell apart, because the Catholic kings recaptured
the country, the Catholicism was restored.
Antoni Gaudí, Casa Battló (1904-1906) 1

1
Giordano, Carlos and Palmisano Nicolás. (2008) La Casa Battló. Barcelona: Dosdearte: 12.
Catholicism became the state religion when the Spanish government signed the Concordat
of 1851 with the Vatican. 2 Nowadays, as in the twentieth century, more than 77 percent
claims to belong to the Catholic Church. 3

What is a typical work of art in which Catholicism is still visible? Casa Battló is what comes in
mind. This house, build in periods between 1904 and 1906, represents the Catholic legend of
Saint George, who was known as a dragon slayer. The building reminds of the dragon. It is
organic and irregular on the outside as well as the inside. The balconies resemble skulls, the
roof looks like the spine of the dragon. The colors are mainly green and grey. Casa Battló has
some characteristics of modernism and Art Nouveau. 4

Gaudí himself was a very faithful Christian. His faith has always been visible in his works. The
round shapes in his work refer to nature, created by God. The long, flowing and graceful
lines symbolize the bond that Gaudí had with God. This earned him the nickname ´God's
Architect´. 5

2. Muslim influence (Neo-Mudéjar)

Beside from the earlier mentioned Christianity, the Islam has also had a major influence in
Spain. From 711 to 1492, the Moors, the medieval Muslim inhabitants, ruled over the Iberian
Peninsula. Back then, Seville and Córdoba were two major cities. An example of architecture
that resembles the style, in which the Moors built, is Plaza de España, located in Seville.

The buildings were constructed in 1928, when

the World Exhibition was held in Spain. It
showed what Spain’s industry was capable of
in a technological point of view. In 1929, the
Ibero-American Exposition had place in Seville.
The exhibition buildings were constructed in
María Luisa Park along the Guadalquivir River.
The numerous bridges around the square
represent the four ancient kingdoms of Spain.
The buildings have lots of
Aníbal González, Plaza de España, Seville (1928)
arches and are decorated with colorful
painted ceramic tiles, called azulejos. This
style is to be characterized as Neo-Mudéjar together with Art Deco. 6 Other cities that have

Solsten, Eric. & Meditz, Sandra W. (1988) ‘Religion‘ in Spain: A Country Study.
3
Ibid.
4
http://www.artway.eu/artway.php?id=287&lang=en&action=show, consulted December 8, 2013
5
Ibid.
6
http://www.andalucia.com/cities/seville/plazadeespana.htm, consulted December 5, 2013
achitecture with Moorish influences are Granada (Alhambra) and Córdoba.
r

3. Spanish Empire

There are numerous countries that have had, or still

have, overseas colonies. Spain was the largest
empire of the Early modern period (± 1500 - 1800).
It had colonies from 1492 to 1898 (when the
Spanish-American War begun). This area covered
almost the whole of South-America. The colonizers
exploited the land, labor and mineral wealth of the
New World. Spain became the richest nation in the
world. The explorers that went to the New World
and conquered land are called conquistadores.
Francisco Pizarro was one of them. He was born in
Trujillo, in the east of Spain. He left Spain in 1509
Charles Rumsey, La estatua de Trujillo (1929) 7 and went
on an expedition to the New World.
He is best known for his conquest in the Inca
Empire, particularly in Peru. He founded a city near the coast that nowadays is known as
Lima. There are statues of Pizarro in several cities. Since 1929, a statue made by Charles Cary
Rumsey, can be found in Trujillo. It has also been showed on an exhibition in Paris called
Primavera de la pintura y la escultura. This was in 1927. 8

4. Spanish Civil War

The Spanish Civil War has been one of the most drastic
events of the country. It took place between 1936 and
1939. After the military coup d’état, led by General
Francisco Franco, Spain was divided both military and
politically. Franco wanted to defense Catholicism, the
Church and the unity of Spain. The war caused death
to more than a half million people. After the war, the
dictatorial regime lasted until 1975 with the death of
Franco. A lot of art has been made related to the war.
Most people have heard of Guernica, a painting made
by Pablo Picasso in 1937. Another famous work is
Construction with Boiled Salvador Dalí, Soft

7
http://revistadeindias.revistas.csic.es/index.php/revistadeindias/article/viewFile/367/438, consulted
December 8, 2013
8
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12140a.htm, consulted December 8, 2013
Construction with Boiled Beans by Salvador Dalí. Beans (1936) 9

What makes this painting so fascinating is that it was made six months before the Civil War
actually begun. 10 It shows two creatures that look like monsters. These creatures appear to
be two parts of the same creature so that it appears to be wrestling itself. All over the
background and on parts of the monster are boiled beans that look like they are melting.
Dalí was part of La Generación del 27. This group of poets and other artists desired to
experience and work with avant-garde forms of art and poetry. He was also known for his
right conservative attitude and his sympathy for Franco and the monarchy.

5. Spain’s different regions

Like a lot of other countries, Spain is divided in regions, called Comunidades Autónomas.
The majority is subdivided in provinces. These provinces have their own identity and culture.

Joaquín Sorolla, impressionist painter wanted to capture the essence of those regions,
fourteen in total. On November 26,
1911, Sorolla signed a document by
which he agreed to make a series of oil
paintings on canvas with
representations of the different regions
of the Iberian Peninsula. 11

Although the Hispanic Society gave the

series the name of Regions of Spain,
Sorolla changed it to Vision of Spain,
since the series is a comprehensive
overview of how the artist saw his
country, far from the romantic stereotypes. The names of the works
Joaquín Sorolla, Visión de España or Las Regiones de España are the following: ‘Castilla: la fiesta del
(1911-1916) pan’ (1913), "Sevilla: Los nazarenos’
(1914), ‘Aragón: La jota’ (1914),
‘Navarra: El concejo del Roncal’ (1914), ‘Guipúzcua: Los bolos’ (1914), ‘Andalucía: El encierro’
(1914), ‘Sevilla: El baile’ (1915), ‘Sevilla: Los toreros" (1915), ‘Galicia: La romería’ (1915),
‘Cataluña: El pescado’ (1915), ‘Valencia: Las grupas’ (1916), 'Extremadura: El mercado’
(1917), ‘Elche: El palmeral' (1918-1919) and ‘Ayamonte. La pesca del atún’ (1919). 12
9
http://www.philamuseum.org/collections/permanent/51315.html, consulted December 8, 2013
10
http://www.debate.org/reference/soft-construction-with-boiled-beans, consulted December 8, 2013
11
http://martamiraalrededor.lacoctelera.net/post/2010/09/02/la-vision-espana-joaquin-sorolla, consulted
December 10, 2013
12
Ibid.
6. Bullfighting

These days, Spain is often associated with

bullfighting. This cultural tradition dates back to
the Greek mythology in which the Minotaur (half
men, half bull) was being fought. In the fifth
century, bullfighting (Spanish: tauromaquia) was a
ritual in which a young man could prove his
courage. Later on, when the Moors came to the
Iberian Peninsula, a new element was added to
bullfighting; they fought the bulls sitting on horses.

The toreros or matadors were highly respected in

the Spanish society. Bullfighting was a theme
frequently portrayed by artists. Ignacio Zuloaga
was one of them. In 1892 Zuloaga travelled to
Andalusia, seeking subjects in Spain. Inspired by a
Ignacio Zuloaga, Toreros de Pueblo (1906) visit to
Andalusia, he began to focus on Spanish
culture and
folklore, such as bullfighters,
peasants and dancers. 13 He was one of the most
cosmopolitan and internationally recognized
painters of his era. His Basque tenacity, artistic,
ethical and moral convictions meant he became
close to Spanish intellectuals who years later were
to recognize him as part of La Generación del 98.
Zuloaga was fervently attached to the nationalist
Falangist forces during the Spanish Civil War and
the dictatorial regime of General Franco. 14

Ignacio Zuloaga, La víctima de la fiesta (1910)

13
http://www.artilim.com/artist/zabaleta-ignacio-zuloaga/biography/, consulted December 8, 2013
14
http://www.espaciozuloaga.com/es/ignacio-zuloaga.html, consulted December 8, 2013
7. Flamenco

Flamenco is Spanish folk music that originates from the

south of Spain. It includes cante (singing), toque (guitar
playing), baile (dance) and palmas (handclaps). First
mentioned in literature in 1774, the genre grew out of
Andalusian and Romani music and dance styles. 15
Flamenco music sometimes has influences of Arabic sounds.
It is founded on the twelve-beat cycle. The accompanying
dance style is very expressive. It shows a lot of grace and
difficult movements of the hand and footwork (taconeo). 16

Spanish folklore in general has inspired painters like

Gonzalo Bilbao. He is considered as the best Seville
Impressionist painter on the turn of the century. He was
attracted to the oriental environment of North Africa when
he visited in 1888. He said that his real inspiration came
from the countryside and the people of his native
Andalusia. Figures of Andalusian folkloric tradition are the
stars of his best paintings. The loose brushwork and brilliant
color composing scenes are said to approach
Gonzalo Bilbao, A Flamenco Dancer
French Impressionism. 17 (ca. 1913)

8. Majismo movement

Majismo was the name of the artisans’ movement to reject Frenchification or

afrancesamiento to preserve the Spanish identity. It is an imitation of customs of the popular
classes (majos or majas). Those were seen as the true and authentic Spaniards. Majismo is
also the name of a fashion style.

At a time when the most important item of French clothing was the elaborate coat, they
wore a short jacket with big shoulders; when nobody was ever seen without a wig, they
grew their hair long and kept it tidy in a snood. They believed that the matadors’ suit derives
15
http://www.studioflamenco.com/Class%20Handouts/About%20Flamenco%20Dance.pdf, consulted
December 8, 2013
16
Ibid.
17
http://www.sevillasigloxx.com/2008/04/los-paisajes-de-gonzalo-bilbao.html, consulted December 8, 2013
from the majo suit. In addition, the bull is always associated with majismo. 18

Another example that remembers of the majismo

movement is Goyescas, an opera composed in 1915 by
Enrique Granados. Goyescas is an opera in one act and
three tableaux. Goyescas refers to the Spanish painter
Francisco Goya. The story of Goyescas is based on a series of
six paintings from Francisco Goya’s early career, inspired by
the stereotypical young men and women of the majismo
movement. These majos and majas are known for their
bohemian attitude and soft spot for finery. 19 Granados
was a composer and pianist with a unique Spanish style.
He is a representative of musical nationalism.

Enrique Granados, Goyescas (1915)

9. La Generación del ’98 (Antonio Machado)

The destruction of Spain's fleet in Cuba by U.S. gunboats in

1898 provoked a general cultural crisis in Spain. The
‘Disaster’ of 1898 led established writers to seek practical
political, economic, and social solutions in essays grouped
under the literary heading of Regeneracionismo. 20
The accompanying movement is called Generación del ’98.
It had as main objective to renew Spanish literature. They
proposed to adopt modernist innovations, for example:,
the spiritualism of the Russian novel, impressionism or
expressionism. Their ideologically was heavily based on
Nietzsche and Schopenhauer. Some big names of this
movement are Miguel de Unamuno, José Martínez Ruiz
‘Azorín’, Pío Baroja, Ramón María del Valle Inclán and
Antonio Machado. They all were interested in the issue of

Antonio Machado, Campos de Spain and wanted to get at its essence. 21

18
http://www.ctol.org/ladivisaarticles/suit%20of%20lights1.htm, consulted 8 December, 2013
19
http://www.chopinsocietyhk.org/joy_music_festival_2013/joyofmusic_16oct.htm, consulted December 8,
2013
20
http://costablog.com/2013/01/16/things-to-know-about-vacationing-in-spain/, consulted December 11,
2013
21
Lecture Cultuurkunde Spaans. Turn of the Century & The 2nd Republic (week 10) slide 37. Lecture visited
November 26, 2013
Castilla (1912)
The Noventayochistas were convinced that the essence of
Spain laid in Castile. An example of this belief is to be found in a 1912 book called Campos de
Castilla, from the author Antonio Machado. Because Castile was a poor and poorly
populated zone, he believed that it was a representation of the Spanish spirit, its essence.

This spirit laid not in industrialization, materialism, progress or Europeanizing. The real
essence was the idealism, the abstract. They emphasized the life of the spirit. Their response
to problems was an aesthetic one. The group was largely influenced by Ángel Ganivet and
her work Idearium español (1898). 22

10. La Generación del ’14 (Joan Miró)

Another art movement, one that has brought forth many talented writers and painters, is La
Generación del ‘14. While still driven by the national and existential questions that obsessed
the writers of ´98, they approached these topics with a greater sense of distance and
objectivity. These writers had enjoyed more formal academic training than their
predecessors, many taught within the walls of academia. They separated them self from
most of the population through cryptic art.

The most important names in literature and

philosophy are Ortega y Gasett, Ramón
Gómez de la Serna and. Juan Ramón
Jiménez. In painting, Pablo Picasso, Joan Gris
and Joan Miró were the most famous
representatives. 23 Miró was a famous
surrealist. He spent most of his life in the
Catalonia part of Spain, in Barcelona and
Mallorca and considered himself a Catalan
rather than a Spaniard. 24 The forms of his
paintings are organized against flat neutral
Joan Miró, Nocturne (1940)
backgrounds and are painted in a limited
range of bright colors, especially blue, red,
yellow, green, and black. Amoebic shapes alternate with sharply drawn lines, spots, and
circles are all positioned on the canvas with seeming nonchalance. Miró drew on memory,
fantasy, and the irrational to create his works of art. These dreamlike visions often have a

22
Lecture Cultuurkunde Spaans. Turn of the Century & The 2nd Republic (week 10) slide 38. Lecture visited
November 26, 2013
23
Lecture Cultuurkunde Spaans. Turn of the Century & The 2nd Republic (week 10) slide 43. Lecture visited
November 26, 2013
24
http://www.artexpertswebsite.com/pages/artists/miro.php, consulted 14 December, 2013
whimsical or humorous quality, containing images of playfully distorted animal forms,
twisted organic shapes, and odd geometric constructions. 25

Conclusion
Looking at the ten different themes and works of art, how can they be connected and what
do they tell us about Spain and its identity? Primarily, they affect the way we think of Spain.

In Spanish architecture for example, religion can be of influence. A country can carry out
instructions to architects to build in a certain style. This was the case in 1928, in Seville,
where the World Exhibition was held. The buildings were built in a style called Neo-Mudéjar.
This style resembles Moorish architecture. This means that Spain wanted to underline its
Muslim history. By still recognizing this important period, they propagate the idea to be a
country in which people with different beliefs and religions lived, and still live, next to each
other in relative peace. (La Convivencia)

Another example, by which Spain wanted to show its rich history, is the statue of Francisco
Pizarro in Trujillo. It symbolizes the time when Spain was the biggest, most influential nation
of the world. Spain is very proud of this period, but the people in their former colonies
(Peru) most certainly see this totally different. The statue of Pizarro, a murdering
conquistador, can therefore be seen as propaganda from Spanish side.

The Spanish Civil War is portrayed in two completely different ways. On the one side, the
propaganda spread by Franco showed images of a necessary war to create a new Spain, a
solid unity. On the other side, the disasters of the war were painted by Picasso as well as
Dalí. These painters were interested in reporting on their horrifying findings and interpret
the war respectively.

Spain has always had different regions. It is known that several regions would like to be
independent. (Catalonia and Basque Country) This urge for independency is something that
characterizes Spain. Apparently there are some unbridgeable and considerable cultural,
language differences between these provinces. Joaquín Sorolla, impressionist painter,
wanted to capture the essence of those regions, fourteen in total. He was interested in
reality, not in romantic stereotypes. These paintings are not likely to figurate in brochures
for the ‘Spanish Tourism Office’, but they do show us an objective view of the whole of
Spain.

Phenomena like bullfighting and flamenco are cultural expressions or products. They were
25
http://mtartblog.blogspot.nl/2006/07/jean-miro-spanish-1893-1983-was.html, consulted 14 December, 2013
created and used to express Spanish-ness, assuming that this even exists. This Spanish-ness
or essence is something that author Antonio Machado was interested in, hence its book
Campos de Castilla. Castile is portrayed as a pure part of Spain.

The authenticity of bullfighting and flamenco can be founded in the low and popular classes,
so widely supported. Nowadays, these products are deployed to attract tourists. These
forms of amusement are pure and old traditions, close to live. Spaniards are known to be
passionate and high-spirited people.

The search for, and preservation of a Spanish identity, is best to be seen in Majismo. This is
an imitation of customs of the popular classes (majos or majas). Those were seen as the true
and authentic Spaniards. It appears to be of importance to be a true Spaniard. Therefore,
there were certain requirements to meet: clothing or a music(al) style.

All these things together make that Spain has a very interesting image. The countries itself
(and its artists) are responsible for creating that image, since they represent it in the arts.
Sometimes this image appears to be too one-sided and positive (the statue of Pizarro), in
other cases this image is closer to an objective reality (paintings of Sorolla). The purpose of
creating and propagating a national identity is clear. Every nation has interest in coming
across as a positive, strong, proud unity. Spain as a religious tolerant country with
passionate, authentic people is a representation a bit too idealistic or romantic. Spain as a
country full of orange trees, toreadors and flamenco dancers is an image too stereotypic. As
always, the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

1518 words (excluding all citations)

Bibliography

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