Trajan’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
Read MoreCatalan Literary Renaissance: Verdaguer and Key Figures
Jacinto Verdaguer: A Literary Titan
Jacinto Verdaguer was one of the most significant poets in Catalan literary history. His poetic strength arises from the use of imagination and painstaking detail, employing a language of intimate tenderness that connects with the song of the purest popular tradition. In 1877, he was awarded the grand epic poem L’Atlàntida at the Floral Games. He died from tuberculosis on May 10, 1902, and was buried in Montjuïc.
Verdaguer’s Prose and Conflicts
Verdaguer’s prose
Read MoreLiterary Genres: Epic, Lyric, Dramatic, Didactic
Literary Genres
Lyric Genre
The lyric genre is characterized by a subjective attitude where the author expresses personal sentiments. It can be represented in verse or prose.
Lyric Subgenres
- Letrilla: Burlesque, loving, or religious content, often in the form of a carol.
- Ode: Expresses emotion through the contemplation of something.
- Hymn: A poetic composition directed to something, celebrating its virtues.
- Satire: A brief composition that censors individual or collective vices.
- Eclogue: A pastoral character
Spanish Baroque Painting: Velázquez and Murillo
Other issues that were explored: Zurbarán’s The Holy Face and The Baby Jesus in the Carpentry, carving a cross or concocting in Nazareth a crown of spines. Its true everyday world transcriptions are synthesized in his still lifes.
Baroque Realism: Velázquez and Murillo
Diego Rodríguez de Silva Velázquez (Madrid, 1599 – Seville, 1660) is the greatest genius of Spanish art. He was a supreme portraitist who covered all genres of painting: religious painting, mythological fable, still life and landscape.
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