Culture

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Culture

spain - WHERE MANY CIVILIZATIONS HAVE LEFT THEIR TRADEMARK, SO WELL THAT WE CAN STILL ENJOY IT TODAY

Spain has always imported its styles of architecture: Moorish from North Africa, Romanesque and Gothic from France and Renaissance from Italy. Each style, however, was interpreted in a distinctively Spanish way, with sudden and strong contrasts between light and shady areas; facades alternating between austerity and extravagant decoration; the thick walls pierced by few windows to lessen the impact of heat and sunlight. Styles vary from region to region, reflecting the division of Spain before unification. The key design of a central patio surrounded by arcades has been a strong feature of civil buildings since Moorish times.

The first remnants date back to Roman times - the ruins of Italica near Sevilla and the magnificent bronze of a Roman youth in the museum at Antequerra.

The stratigic position of the southern coast of Spain and its proximity to North Africa means its history is quite different to that of the rest of Spain. Almost 800 years (711-1492) as a Moorish (collective name for numerous waves of Arab, Syrian and Berber settlers from North Africa) empire has given Andalucía a unique artistic and cultural heritage and the influence of the Moors is apparent in architecture everywhere, from the smallest village to the most spectacular monument.

For centuries a centre of art, culture and learning, Andalucías heritage is rich and exciting, with some of the worlds most beautiful Islamic monuments within reach of the Costa del Sol.

It was the Moors, who arrived in 711 AD, who made the biggest architectural impact on this region, establishing themselves in Córdoba and building La Mezquita, a mosque that was regarded as one of the wonders of the world in its time. Having come from Damascus, centre of the Islamic world, the Moors introduced intricate Arabic caligraphy, brilliantly coloured mosaics and structures like La Giralda minaret and the Torre de Oro, a tower tiled in gold in Seville. In Granada, the last Moorish kingdom in al-Andaluz, La Alhambra represents the pinnacle of Moorish culture, palaces of ornate stuccos and exquisitly carved wooden ceilings set among serene gardens and fountains. While the Moors were deeply religious, they did tend to live their life according to an old Arab proverb that the "nights were meant for sleeping and the days for resting" and their architecture reflects both characteristics. Rooms in palaces like the Alhambra are bare because the Moors had little furniture. Visitors would sit on cushions and stone floors would be covered with rugs and kelims. Because much time was spent reclining and gazing upwards, ceilings are always ornate.

As the Koran expressly forbids the representation of people and animals in art, artistic expression was channelled into brilliantly coloured mosaic patterns and elaborate inscriptions, both from the Koran and from the poets of their time. The strange stalactite formations on ceilings in the Alhambra represent the cave in which Mohammed was supposed to have written the Koran, while the suns, moons and stars on the ceilings represent heaven.

The use of water in Andalucían architecture - Throughout the kingdom of al-Andalus, that scarce commodity - water - played a fundamental role in architecture. Water had a triple function: practical, religious and aesthetic. Practical, because of its necessity for life (the irrigation of fields and the supply of bath water); religious, because the Koran states that a series of ablutions must be carried out prior to prayer; and aesthetic, because water stored in pools and basins reflected the elegant decoration of the walls and ceilings, while water running through channels, fountains and gutters produced a relaxing mummuring and provided a welcome cool. Water also enabled gardens to be created that were so well integrated in the surrounding architecture that it is difficult to know where nature ends and where the works created by man begin.

The reconquest allowed Moorish architecture to continue but with modifications creating Mudéjar art. Following the conquest of Córdoba and Sevilla in the first half of the 13th Century, Christian models were imposed on those buildings under the yoke of Castilla, although their construction was entrusted to skilled Muslim craftsmen. This resulted in the development of the typically Spanish Mudéjar art, the fusion of Islamic and Western artistic concepts.

Mudéjar architecture evolved over the centuries, adapting to the dominant features of each area, in such a way that the Mudéjar style in Andalucía is different from that of other Spanish regions. Despite these differences, in general it can be said that it remains loyal to Muslim traditions in terms of materials used, its construction techniques, and decoration. We can find this visibly illustrated in the Alcazar in Sevilla.

The in the 13-15th centuries, austere Gothic. The construction of Sevilla Cathedral started in 1401. This edifice is the largest Gothic building in Andalucía and was one of the last Gothic churches to be built.

During the reign of Isabella the Catholic queen, the Isabelline style developed, halfway between Gothic and Renaissance, exhuberantly combining Flamboyant and Mudéjar features. The Capilla Real in Granada is the best example of the Isabelline style portrayed in Andalucía.

Renaissance style arrived in the mid 16th century coinciding with a new period of wealth and splendour in Andalucía, with Sevilla, which had a monopoly of trade with the New World, and Córdoba and Granada all developing into cultural and artistic centres of great renown. The first three decades of the 16th century saw the development of the Plateresque style, so called because its lavish decoration was reminiscent of silverwork. As the century evolved, greater importance was attributed to proportion than ornamentation, resulting in the total abandonment of Gothic ideas.

Three names stand out in Renaissance architecture in the region. Diego de Siloe completed the work on Granada Cathedral, having modified the original Gothic plans. Pedro Machuca always remained faithful to his Italian training. Carlos V palace in the Alhambra, his most impressive work, is a work of total innovation which was completely misunderstood at the time. Andres de Vandelvira, who worked closely with de Siloe, left his mark on Jaén Cathedral and other buildings in the same province, particularly in Ubeda and Baeza.

Spanish Baroque shone forth in every aspect of art. During the first half of the 17th century, the influence of the Herreran style remained: churches with a simple rectangular plan. This austerity gradually softened, as buildings started to be covered with more ornate decoration, even though the structures themselves remained simple in design. Around 1700, a period coinciding with the rise to power of the Bourbons, Andalucían Baroque entered into its most sumptious phase, during which the overflowing imagination of artists knew no bounds.