Baroque Masters: Sculpture of Spain & Rembrandt’s Painting
Spanish Baroque Sculpture: Gregorio Fernández
In 17th-century Valladolid, an important school of sculpture developed, centered around Gregorio Fernández. His style established the defining characteristics of Spanish sculpture:
- Penetrating realism.
- Emphasis on dramatic and exalted expressionism in the service of religious feeling, utilizing various visual resources.
- Employment of an austere polychrome, often eschewing gold.
Religious themes in polychrome wood include altarpieces (retablos), processional
Read MoreEarly Medieval Architecture: Facades, Crypts, and Hypogea
The facade that we see is largely restored.
Exterior Facade Details
- Lunettes for lighting
- Ears sustained by pilasters with capitals
- Cornices including courses of ashlar and brick with darker courses
It was suggested that this type of equipment is linked to Constantinople (alternating brick and stone).
Key Facade Elements
Arcos de mitra, classical pediments, colored stones.
It seems an attempt to revive a classic facade, gabled, and in some sense, to link with a bichrome Merovingian taste.
Keep in mind that
Read MoreEssential Television & Film Production Terminology
Television & Film Production Terminology
Understanding TV Programs & Series
- Sitcom
- A humorous television series centered on the lives of fictional characters.
- Documentary
- A television program that chronicles real-life events.
- Makeover Show
- A program designed to help people change their lifestyle or image.
- News Program
- A show that reports world events as they unfold.
- Soap Opera
- A long-running television drama, often with many episodes per week, focusing on the daily lives and relationships of a group
Creative Class & Urban Prosperity: Florida’s Economic Model
Richard Florida’s Creative Class Theory
Defining the Creative Class
Richard Florida defined members of the creative class as those employed in occupations significantly associated with “the creation of meaningful new forms.” He rejected defining this class solely by human capital (e.g., college graduation), noting that not all college graduates work creatively, and many creative professionals never attended college or dropped out prior to graduation. However, members of the creative class do tend
Read MoreSpanish Golden Age Painting: Masters & Art Centers
Spanish Golden Age Painting: Key Artists & Centers
The Spanish Golden Age of painting, particularly in the 17th century, was marked by three major artistic centers, each fostering unique talents and styles.
Major Art Centers of Spanish Painting
- Madrid: Home to Diego Velázquez, the foremost painter of the era, who served the royal court.
- Seville: A vibrant hub that nurtured artists like Francisco de Zurbarán, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, and Juan de Valdés Leal.
- Valencia: A significant center of
Medieval Literature and Culture: Society, Art, and Thought
Medieval Literature and Culture
Literature is defined as a fine art that uses the word as its primary tool. It is a historical product, and its purpose should be to teach and delight.
The Middle Ages: Society and Economy
The Middle Ages refers to an extended period of a thousand years, from the 5th century until the late 15th century. During this time, Western Europe was socially organized according to an economic and political model known as feudalism.
- Production relations were based on a natural and