History: Regional Histories - Spanish Art from Altamira Cave to Sorolla and Rusiñol

In this course, we will highlight some key periods and movements in the history of Spanish art – or the art created on the Iberian Peninsula. We will start with some prehistoric sites and then move on to the early Middle Ages with some Visigothic architecture and art. Following this we will study some treasures created when Spain was a muslim-ruled territory, with places like Córdoba mosque and the Alhambra. We will then look into the “Reconquista” and the works commissioned by the “Catholic monarchs”, Isabelle of Castille and Ferdinand of Aragon, and their successors such as Philip II, who admired Titian but disliked El Greco. This will lead us into the “Siglo de Oro”, or Golden Age of Spanish painters with the likes of Velázquez and Ribera. We will see that Spanish art is not just found in Spain. Some of the works of art will lead us to study and discuss the impact of the Conquistadors and Spanish missionaries on the art created in South America. Finally, we will discover some great painters active at the end of the 19th century in Spain: Joaquín Sorolla, but also the Catalan modernists, Ramon Casas and Santiago Rusiñol, along with Gaudí in Barcelona. This course is packed with great art, and a lot of history.