Gothic Sculpture: Features, Styles, and Evolution
Gothic Sculpture: General Features
Naturalism: A major change occurred as a ‘living breath’ animated figures. Attitudes and gestures became more natural and realistic, reaching surprising heights. Expression increased on faces, revealing feelings. Romanesque constraints disappeared, and sculpture was released from architectural constraints. Figures appeared more independent, and there was a clearer exposition of topics. Cathedrals became the primary site for sculptures.
Sculptures adorned archivolts,
Read MoreSpanish Drama Before 1939: Trends and Key Authors
Spanish Drama Up To 1939
Spanish theater of the twentieth century, with the exception of Valle-Inclán and Lorca, is quite poor, both in theater and in the dramatic, without being involved in innovations in European theater. In the reporting period, drama has two models: one that wins, which has the support of the public, and another that does not achieve success despite its superior literary value.
Popular Theater
Popular theater includes three trends:
- Bourgeois Drama: Realistic and gently critical.
Spanish Renaissance Lyric Poetry: Schools and Authors
Lyric Poetry in the Second Spanish Renaissance
Petrarchan Lyric
This trend continued to develop the poetic forms that Boscán introduced into Spanish literature, and Garcilaso brought to perfection. Poets who followed this trend showed a preference for themes of love and a more ornate and rhetorical language. Fernando de Herrera changed poetry both in its theoretical concepts and in the search for a renewed language. His Annotations on the poetry of Garcilaso involve an examination of the poetry of
Read MoreTrajan’s Column in Rome: A Detailed Look
Trajan’s Column
Background
In 753 BC, a settlement called Rome was founded, which eventually became the capital of one of the mightiest empires. Its origins are sketchy; history and legend are mixed. Its creation is attributed to the brothers Romulus and Remus. Regarding Imperial Rome (31 BC – 476 AD), given the stage in which the inability to govern such a great empire, a new political system headed by an emperor was established, and the territory was divided into provinces. But since the 5th century
Read MoreCelestina and Old Ballads: Themes, Characters, and Style
Celestina
Celestina, published in Burgos in 1499, consists of 21 acts and was written by Fernando de Rojas. Act I is of unknown authorship.
Action
The dramatic action is structured in the prologue (which is the initial act) and two parts: the first (Acts I-XIV) and second (Acts XV to XXI).
The action stems from a fortuitous circumstance: Calisto comes casually into the Garden of Melibea, falls in love, and declares his love, but she rejects him when she realizes that his intentions are dishonest. Given
Read MoreRafael Alberti: Life, Poetry, and Legacy of a Spanish Poet
Rafael Alberti: A Life Dedicated to Art and Poetry
Rafael Alberti was born on December 16, 1902, in El Puerto de Santa María (Cádiz), the son of Augustine and Mary Alberti Merello. He was the fifth of six children and grandson of winemakers from Italy, vendors to European courts. From childhood, he showed a keen interest in the arts, initially focusing on painting.
Early Life and Artistic Beginnings
In 1917, his family moved to Madrid, where he copied paintings in the Prado, considering it a lifelong
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