Spanish Renaissance
Encyclopedia
- This article is about the Spanish Renaissance of the 15th-16th centuries.
- See Renaissance of the 12th centuryRenaissance of the 12th centuryThe Renaissance of the 12th century was a period of many changes at the outset of the High Middle Ages. It included social, political and economic transformations, and an intellectual revitalization of Western Europe with strong philosophical and scientific roots...
for the earlier Renaissance in Spain.
The Spanish Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
refers to a movement in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, emerging from the Italian Renaissance
Italian Renaissance
The Italian Renaissance began the opening phase of the Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement in Europe that spanned the period from the end of the 13th century to about 1600, marking the transition between Medieval and Early Modern Europe...
in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
during the 14th century, that spread to Spain during the 15th and 16th centuries. The year 1492 is commonly accepted as the beginning of the influence of the Renaissance in Spain.
This new focus in art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
, literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
and science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, inspired by Classical antiquity
Classical antiquity
Classical antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, collectively known as the Greco-Roman world...
and especially the Greco-Roman tradition, receives the transcendental impulse in this year by various successive historical events:
- Unification of the longed-for Christian kingdom with the definitive taking of GranadaGranadaGranada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of three rivers, the Beiro, the Darro and the Genil. It sits at an elevation of 738 metres above sea...
, last city of Islamic SpainAl-AndalusAl-Andalus was the Arabic name given to a nation and territorial region also commonly referred to as Moorish Iberia. The name describes parts of the Iberian Peninsula and Septimania governed by Muslims , at various times in the period between 711 and 1492, although the territorial boundaries...
and the successive expulsions of thousands of Muslim and JewishJudaismJudaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
believers, - The official discovery of the western hemisphere, the AmericasAmericasThe Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
, - The publication of the first grammarGrammarIn linguistics, grammar is the set of structural rules that govern the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language. The term refers also to the study of such rules, and this field includes morphology, syntax, and phonology, often complemented by phonetics, semantics,...
of a vernacular European language, the GramáticaGramática de la lengua castellanaGramática de la lengua castellana is a book written by Antonio de Nebrija and published in 1492...
(Grammar) by Antonio de NebrijaAntonio de NebrijaAntonio de Lebrija , also known as Antonio de Nebrija, Elio Antonio de Lebrija, Antonius Nebrissensis, and Antonio of Lebrixa, was a Spanish scholar, known for writing a grammar of the Castilian language, credited as one of the first published grammars of a Romance language...
.
Historic antecedents
Catholic Monarchs
The Catholic Monarchs is the collective title used in history for Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon. They were both from the House of Trastámara and were second cousins, being both descended from John I of Castile; they were given a papal dispensation to deal with...
. Its figures are the first to leave the medieval approaches that secured a feudal scheme of weak monarch over a powerful and restless nobility. The Catholic Monarchs unite the forces of the incipient state and ally with the principal families of the nobility to maintain their power. One of these families, the Mendoza, use the new style like distinction of its clan and, by extension, of the protection of the monarchy.
Little by little, the novel esthetic was introduced into the rest of the court and the clergy, mixing with purely Iberian styles, like the Nasrid art of the dying kingdom of Granada, the exalted and personal Gothic Castilian queen, and the Flemish tendencies in the official painting of the court and the Church. The assimilation of elements gave way to a personal interpretation of the orthodox Renaissance, which came to be called Plateresque
Plateresque
Plateresque, meaning "in the manner of a silversmith" , was an artistic movement, especially architectural, traditionally held to be exclusive to Spain and its territories, which appeared between the late Gothic and early Renaissance in the late 15th century, and spread over the next two centuries...
. Therefore, secondary artists were brought in from Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, apprentices were sent to the Italian shops, they brought designs, architectural plans, books and engravings, paintings, etc., of which portraits, themes and composition were copied.
King Charles I
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
was more predisposed to the new art, paradoxically called the old way, remitted to the Classical antiquity. His direct patronage achieved some of the most beautiful works of the special and unique Spanish Renaissance style: the patronage of Almazan de Covarrubias, his commissions for Titian
Titian
Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio (c. 1488/1490 – 27 August 1576 better known as Titian was an Italian painter, the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, near...
, who never agreed to relocate to Spain. Painters of great quality were, far from the courtier nucleus, Pedro Berruguete
Pedro Berruguete
Pedro Berruguete was a Spanish painter; his art is regarded as a transitional style between gothic and Renaissance. Born in Paredes de Nava, Spain, he went to Italy in 1480 and worked in Federico III da Montefeltro's court in Urbino, where he could see some works by Melozzo da Forlì...
, Juan de Juanes, Paolo da San Leocadio, of whom the delicate Virgin of the Caballero de Montesa is highlighted, Yáñez de la Almazan and Gerardo de los Llanos.
The painting of the Spanish Renaissance is normally completed in oil
Oil painting
Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments that are bound with a medium of drying oil—especially in early modern Europe, linseed oil. Often an oil such as linseed was boiled with a resin such as pine resin or even frankincense; these were called 'varnishes' and were prized for their body...
. It realizes interiors perfectly subject to the laws of perspective, without over-emphasis of the people. The figures are all of the same size and anatomically correct.
The colors and the shading are applied in tonal ranges, according to the Italian teachings. To accentuate the Italian style, in addition, it is common to add elements directly copied from it, like the adornments a candelieri (borders of vegetables and cupids that surround the frames), or Roman ruins in the countrysides, including in scenes of the life of Christ.
Literature
- Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, author of El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha
- Jorge ManriqueJorge ManriqueJorge Manrique was a major Spanish poet, whose main work, the Coplas a la muerte de su padre , is still read today...
author of the Coplarouas por la muerte de su padre - Garcilaso de la VegaGarcilaso de la VegaGarcilaso de la Vega was a Spanish soldier and poet. He was the most influential poet to introduce Italian Renaissance verse forms, poetic techniques and themes to Spain.-Biography:...
, poet. - San Juan de la Cruz and
- Santa Teresa de JesúsTeresa of ÁvilaSaint Teresa of Ávila, also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, baptized as Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda y Ahumada, was a prominent Spanish mystic, Roman Catholic saint, Carmelite nun, and writer of the Counter Reformation, and theologian of contemplative life through mental prayer...
, mystic poetsSpanish mysticsThe Spanish Mystics are major figures in the Catholic Reformation of 16th and 17th century Spain. The goal of this movement was to reform the Church structurally and to renew it spiritually...
. - Fernando de RojasFernando de RojasFernando de Rojas was a Spanish author about whom little information is known. He possibly attended the University of Salamanca. Although his family was of Jewish ancestry, they were conversos, or Jews who had converted to Christianity under pressure from the Spanish crown...
, author of La CelestinaLa CelestinaLa Celestina , actually called Tragicomedia de Calisto y Melibea or Comedia de Calisto y Melibea, in English Tragicomedy of Calisto and Melibea), is a work composed entirely in dialogue published by Fernando de Rojas in 1499... - Fray Luis de León
- Juan Boscán
- Ausiàs MarchAusiàs MarchAusiàs March was a Valencian poet who was born in Gandia towards the end of the 14th century. He was the son of Pere March, nephew of Jaume March II, and cousin of Arnau March....
- Alonso de ErcillaAlonso de ErcillaAlonso de Ercilla y Zúñiga was a Spanish nobleman, soldier and epic poet from the Basque Country. While in Chile he fought against the Araucanians, and there he began the epic poem La Araucana, considered the greatest Spanish historical poem. This heroic work in 37 cantos is divided into three...
, author of La AraucanaLa AraucanaLa Araucana is an epic poem in Spanish about the Spanish conquest of Chile, by Alonso de Ercilla; it is also known in English as The Araucaniad... - Lope de RuedaLope de RuedaLope de Rueda was a Spanish dramatist and author, regarded by some as the best of his era. A very versatile writer, he also wrote comedies, farces, and pasos...
- Fray Luis de Granada
- Marqués de SantillanaÍñigo López de Mendoza, marqués de SantillanaDon Íñigo López de Mendoza y de la Vega, Marquis of Santillana was a Castilian politician and poet who held an important position in society and Literature during the reign of John II of Castile....
- Diego Hurtado de MendozaDiego Hurtado de MendozaDiego Hurtado de Mendoza , Spanish novelist, poet, diplomat and historian, a younger son of the count of Tendillas, governor of Granada, was born in that city in 1503...
- Juan LatinoJuan LatinoJuan Latino, born Juan de Sessa, , was a Spanish black professor at Granada during the sixteenth century.-Life:Son of black slaves of the second Duke consort of Sessa since 1520, Luis Fernández de Córdoba, deceased Rome, Italy, 1526, he went to Granada where he was educated together with his...
, born Juan de Sessa, poet and humanist. - Alonso de Santa Cruz
- Francisco de la TorreFrancisco de la TorreFrancisco de la Torre was a Spanish composer mainly active in the Kingdom of Naples. His hometown may have been Seville. His music can be found in La música en la corte de los Reyes Católicos, edited by H. Anglès ....
- Juan de ValdésJuan de ValdésJuan de Valdés was a Spanish religious writer.He was the younger of twin sons of Fernando de Valdés, hereditary regidor of Cuenca in Castile, where Valdés was born. He has been confused with his twin brother Alfonso...
- Anonymous writers of the RomanceroRomanceroA romancero is any collection of Spanish romances, a type of folk ballad . The romancero is the entire corpus of such ballads...
and of the Masterpiece of picaresque literature Vida de Lazarillo de TormesLazarillo de TormesThe Life of Lazarillo de Tormes and of His Fortunes and Adversities is a Spanish novella, published anonymously because of its heretical content...
Painting and Sculpture
Featured artists
- TitianTitianTiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio (c. 1488/1490 – 27 August 1576 better known as Titian was an Italian painter, the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, near...
- Pedro BerruguetePedro BerruguetePedro Berruguete was a Spanish painter; his art is regarded as a transitional style between gothic and Renaissance. Born in Paredes de Nava, Spain, he went to Italy in 1480 and worked in Federico III da Montefeltro's court in Urbino, where he could see some works by Melozzo da Forlì...
- Alonso BerrugueteAlonso BerrugueteAlonso González de Berruguete was a Spanish painter, sculptor and architect. He is considered to be the most important sculptor of the Spanish Renaissance, and is known for his emotive sculptures depicting religious ecstasy or torment.Born in the town of Paredes de Nava, Berrugete studied art...
- Luis de MoralesLuis de MoralesLuis de Morales was a Spanish painter born in Badajoz, Extremadura. Known as "El Divino", most of his work was of religious subjects, including many representations of the Madonna and Child and the Passion....
- Juan de FlandesJuan de FlandesJuan de Flandes was an Early Netherlandish painter who was active in Spain from 1496 to 1519; his actual name is unknown, although an inscription Juan Astrat on the back of one work suggests a name such as "Jan van der Staat"...
- Alonso Sánchez CoelloAlonso Sánchez CoelloAlonso Sánchez Coello was a portrait painter of the Spanish Renaissance and one of the pioneers of the great tradition of Spanish portrait painting.- Life :...
- Fernando GallegoFernando GallegoFernando Gallego was a Spanish painter, brought up in an age of gothic style, his art is generally regarded as Hispano-Flemish style...
- Bartolomé González y Serrano
GA
Famous paintings
- Virgin of the Milk or Virgin with Child (Luis de Morales).
The theme represented is very old, within the Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
iconography
Iconography
Iconography is the branch of art history which studies the identification, description, and the interpretation of the content of images. The word iconography literally means "image writing", and comes from the Greek "image" and "to write". A secondary meaning is the painting of icons in the...
: the Virgin Mary
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
feeding Baby Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
.
Nevertheless, in the case of this work, the chest is not viewed directly, instead the mother and son look at each other in one of the most intimistas images of the 16th century. The purpose is clearly religious
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
, exalting the sentiment of maternal love.
Architecture
- Juan de HerreraJuan de HerreraJuan de Herrera was a Spanish architect, mathematician and geometrician.One of the most outstanding Spanish architects in the 16th century, Herrera represents the peak of the Renaissance in Spain. His sober style was fully developed in buildings like the Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial...
- Juan Bautista de ToledoJuan Bautista de ToledoJuan Bautista de Toledo. Spanish architect educated in Italy, in the Italian High Renaissance. As many Italian renaissance architects, he had experience in both architecture and military and civil public works. Born, either in Toledo or in Madrid around 1515. Died May 19, 1567 in Madrid...
- Gil de Hontañón
- Diego SiloeDiego SiloeDiego Siloe or Diego de Siloé was a Spanish Renaissance architect and sculptor, progenitor of the Granadan school of sculpture. He developed the majority of his work in Andalusia.-Biography:...
- Enrique Egas
- Alonso de Covarrubias
- Pedro MachucaPedro MachucaPedro Machuca is mainly remembered as the Spanish architect responsible for the design of the Palace of Charles V adjacent to the Alcazar in Granada. The significance of this work is that it represents likely the first major classic Renaissance style building in Spain...
- Andrés de VandelviraAndrés de VandelviraAndrés de Vandelvira was a Spanish architect, active mainly in Jaén, Uclés, Baeza, and Úbeda during the Renaissance. He was born in Andrés de Vandelvira (1509–1575) was a Spanish architect, active mainly in Jaén, Uclés, Baeza, and Úbeda during the Renaissance. He was born in Andrés de...
- Diego de RiañoDiego de RiañoDiego de Riaño was a Spanish architect of the Renaissance. He was one of the most outstanding architects of the Plateresque style....
- Juan de Álava
Music
- Arpa de dos ordenesCross-strung harpThe cross-strung harp is a multi-course harp that has two rows of strings which intersect without touching. While accidentals are played on the pedal harp via the pedals and on the lever harp with levers, the cross-strung harp features two rows so that each of the twelve semitones of the chromatic...
(Spanish cross-strung harp) - Juan de AnchietaJuan de AnchietaJuan de Anchieta was a leading Spanish Basque composer of the Renaissance, at the Royal Court Chaplaincy in Granada of Queen Isabel I of Castile.-History:...
- Antonio de CabezónAntonio de CabezónAntonio de Cabezón was a Spanish Renaissance composer and organist. Blind from childhood, he quickly rose to prominence as performer and was eventually employed by the royal family...
(organist) - Juan del EncinaJuan del EncinaJuan del Enzina – the spelling he used – or Juan del Encina – modern Spanish spelling – was a composer, poet and playwright, often called the founder of Spanish drama...
(also poet and playwright) - Bartolomé de EscobedoBartolomé de EscobedoBartolomé de Escobedo was a Spanish composer of the Renaissance. He was born in Zamora, studied at Salamanca where he was a singer, and in 1536 joined the papal choir in Rome as only the second Spaniard to be admitted after Cristóbal de Morales. He remained in Rome until 1554, interrupted by a...
- Juan de Esquivel BarahonaJuan de Esquivel BarahonaJuan [de] Esquivel Barahona was the most prominent of the last generation of Spanish church composers of the Renaissance era...
- Juan Pérez de GijónJuan Pérez de GijónJuan Pérez de Gijón was a Spanish composer of the Renaissance.Nothing is known about his life, except for his approximate period of activity. He is one of the composers of secular songs who contributed to the huge Cancionero Musical de Palacio, the largest and most diverse manuscript collection of...
- Francisco GuerreroFrancisco GuerreroFrancisco Guerrero was a Spanish composer of the Renaissance. He was born and died in Seville.Guerrero's early musical education was with his older brother Pedro. He must have been an astonishing prodigy, for at the age of 17 he was already appointed maestro de capilla at Jaén Cathedral...
- Mateo FlechaMateo FlechaMateo Flecha was a composer born in Catalonia, in the region of Prades. He is sometimes known as "El Viejo" to distinguish him from his nephew, Mateo Flecha "El Joven" , also a composer of madrigals...
- Alonso LoboAlonso LoboAlonso Lobo was a Spanish composer of the late Renaissance. Although not as famous as Tomás Luís de Victoria, he was highly regarded at the time, and Victoria himself considered him to be his equal....
- Luis de MilánLuis de MilánLuis de Milán was a Spanish Renaissance composer, vihuelist , and writer on music...
(vihuelist) - Cristóbal de MoralesCristóbal de MoralesCristóbal de Morales was a Spanish composer of the Renaissance. He is generally considered to be the most influential Spanish composer before Victoria.- Life :...
- Alonso MudarraAlonso MudarraAlonso Mudarra was a Spanish composer and vihuelist of the Renaissance. He was an innovative composer of instrumental music as well as songs, and was the composer of the earliest surviving music for the guitar....
- Juan NavarroJuan NavarroJuan Navarro is the name of:* Juan Navarro Hispalensis , composer* Juan Navarro Gaditanus , Franciscan monk and composer* Juan Navarro Reverter , Spanish politician* Juan Gil Navarro , Argentinian TV actor...
- Diego OrtizDiego OrtizDiego Ortiz was a Spanish composer and musicologist, in service to the Spanish viceroy in Naples and later to Philip II of Spain. Ortiz published influential treatises on both instrumental and vocal performance....
- Francisco de PeñalosaFrancisco de PeñalosaFrancisco de Peñalosa was a Spanish composer of the middle Renaissance.-Life:He was born in Talavera de la Reina in the province of Toledo. He spent most of his career in Seville, serving as the maestro di capilla, though he also spent time in Burgos, and three years in Rome at the papal chapel...
- Joan Pau PujolJoan Pau PujolJoan Pau Pujol was a Catalan and Spanish composer and organist of the late Renaissance and early Baroque. While best known for his sacred music, he also wrote popular secular music.-Life:Pujol was born in Mataró...
- Melchior Robles
- Francisco de SalinasFrancisco de SalinasFrancisco de Salinas was a Spanish music theorist and organist, noted as among the first to describe meantone temperament in mathematically precise terms, and one of the first to describe, in effect, 19 equal temperament. In his De musica libri septem of 1577 he discusses 1/3-, 1/4- and 2/7-comma...
(theorist) - Tomás de Santa MaríaTomás de Santa MaríaFr. Tomás de Santa María O.P. was a Spanish music theorist, organist and composer of the Renaissance. He was born in Madrid but the date is highly uncertain; he died in Ribadavia...
- Francisco de la TorreFrancisco de la TorreFrancisco de la Torre was a Spanish composer mainly active in the Kingdom of Naples. His hometown may have been Seville. His music can be found in La música en la corte de los Reyes Católicos, edited by H. Anglès ....
- Juan de TrianaJuan de TrianaJuan de Triana was a Spanish composer of the Renaissance period, active in the second half of fifteenth century during the reign of the Catholic Monarchs. Pope Sixtus IV issued a bull on 9 February 1478 that listed De Triana as Prebendary of the Cathedral of Sevilla for at least a year before...
- Juan VásquezJuan Vásquez (composer)Juan Vásquez was a Spanish priest and composer of the renaissance. He can be considered part of the School of Andalusia group of composers along with Francisco Guerrero, Cristóbal de Morales, Juan Navarro Hispalensis and others.-Biography:Even relative to the standards of early music composers,...
- Tomás Luis de VictoriaTomás Luis de VictoriaTomás Luis de Victoria, sometimes Italianised as da Vittoria , was the most famous composer of the 16th century in Spain, and one of the most important composers of the Counter-Reformation, along with Giovanni da Palestrina and Orlando di Lasso. Victoria was not only a composer, but also an...
- Sebástian de VivancoSebastián de VivancoSebastián de Vivanco was a Spanish priest and composer of the Renaissance.-Life:Vivanco was born in Ávila, like Tomás Luis de Victoria; however, the exact date of his birth is unknown...
- Luis de NarvaezLuis de NarváezLuis de Narváez was a Spanish composer and vihuelist. Highly regarded during his lifetime, Narváez is known today for Los seys libros del delphín, a collection of polyphonic music for the vihuela which includes the earliest known variation sets...
Science
- Miguel Servet
- School of SalamancaSchool of SalamancaThe School of Salamanca is the renaissance of thought in diverse intellectual areas by Spanish and Portuguese theologians, rooted in the intellectual and pedagogical work of Francisco de Vitoria...
- Jerónimo Muñoz
- Fernán Pérez de OlivaFernan Perez de OlivaFernan Perez de Oliva was a Spanish man of letters.He was born in Córdoba. After studying at Salamanca, Alcalá, Paris and Rome, he was appointed rector at Salamanca, where he died in 1530 or 1531...