U2.

7 THE GOLDEN
AGE. CULTURE AND
ART
WHAT’S THE GOLDEN AGE OF SPAIN?
◦ Renaissance and humanist thinking arrived in Spain in the 15th century during the time of the Catholic
Monarchs.
◦ It was a return to the models and knowledge of classical Antiquity.
◦ The incorporation of Italian territories to the Crown of Aragón increased contact between the two, and
increased the taste for ancient culture.
◦ Great universities were founded such as Alcalá de Henares.
◦ Antonio de Nebrija wrote the first book of Spanish grammar, disseminated thanks for the printing press.
Cultural evolution
◦ Humanism: Luis Vives.
◦ Language: Beatriz Galindo and Antonio de
Nebrija.
◦ Italian poetry: Garcilaso de la Vega.
◦ Mystic poetry: Saint Teresa of Jesus and Saint
John of the Cross.
◦ Medicine: Miguel Servet.
MAIN FEATURES
Spanish art Renaissance is characterised by its
uniqueness and also because it came to Spain
through two channels:
the Italian and the Flemish.

This is due to relationships maintained with both territories as part

of the Spanish monarchy. The Italian influence was reflected
in architecture, sculpture and painting, and the Flemish
primarily in painting.
SPANISH ARCHITECTURE
Façade of the University of Salamanca:
Renaissance decorated with
medallions, shields, and grotesques.
Façade of the University of Alcalá de Henares:
adoption of Renaissance construction elements
(semicircular arches, ionic columns), simplification, and
increased size of decoration.
Monastery-palace of San Lorenzo de El Escorial: Simple
forms, slate roofs and a sparse use of decoration.
SPANISH RENAISSANCE SCULPTURE
FEATURES
– The importance of polychrome wooden carvings.
– The realism.
– The mainly religious subject matter, with a preference for dramatic themes that
allowed an expression of feeling in the characters’ faces and poses.
 ESTOFADO:
CONTEXT técnica que
consiste en raspar
el color aplicado
sobre una
◦ In the 16th century, thanks to America, tons of superficie dorada,
gold arrived in Spain. haciendo dibujos,
de modo que
◦ Sculptural carvings had a layer of gold using gold aparezca el oro.
leaf, which was then covered with a layer of paint
of various colours (polychrome painting).
◦ On occasion, this also occurred with engravings.
◦ This collection of techniques had the name
estofado, a type of painting on gold that creates
textile or fabric patterns.
 ALTARPIECES
◦ In this period, altarpieces had acquired special
significance. These were works of art covering the wall
behind the altar that combine architectural, painting and
sculptural structures. In the following website, you can see
a drawing with the different parts of an altarpiece and
their definitions:
http://cvc.cervantes.es/actcult/art_reli/retablos/glosario.
htm.

Altarpiece in Toledo’s Cathedral.

It’s a massive, asymmetrical structure with a façade that
reflects a mishmash of styles, including Renaissance,
High Gothic and Mudéjar, the singular Spanish style
influenced by Islamic design cues. This is also the seat of
the Catholic Church in Spain.
EL GRECO
The stylistic features of El Greco can be appreciated
through an analysis of the three works that accompany
the report. In them, and especially in ‘The burial of
Count Orgaz’, which was considered his masterpiece, we
can appreciate the complex composition, organised in
two levels:
– The lower, or terrestrial.
– The superior, or heavenly.
– The elongated figures; the bright lights, which
were intense and unreal; and the brilliant colours.