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Period: 1400 to
RENAISSANCE
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that marked the beginning of the modern age and that transformed the way of seeing the world, philosophy, arts and sciences, returning to the ideals of classical antiquity.
The human being was the center of the universe instead of God (humanism) and reason was prioritized over faith.
Criticism of religion and the new model of thinking based on science led to new discoveries and scientific advances (Copernicus claimed that the Earth revolved around the sun) -
1420
FLORENCE CATHEDRAL´S DOME, BY BRUNELLESCHI
The dome was built between 1420 and 1436 by Filippo Brunelleschi.
The structure had been planned since the 1300s. The innovation of Brunelleschi was to create it without reinforcements in wood, since none could have sustained a cupola of this size. The florence cathedral dome was made by using the double-shell dome design allowed by pointed arches and horizontal rings, along with ingenious building techniques like a hoisting machine system. FLORENCE -
1498
PIETÁ BY MICHELANGELO BUONARROTI
The sculpture, made of marble, represents the Virgin Mary crying for her dead son. The dead Christ appears older than his mother because the beauty and youth of the virgin is a symbol of Renaissance idealism. When the sculpture was finished, there were doubts about whether Michelangelo was the author, because he was very young. So he decided to engrave his name on the ribbon that crosses the virgin's chest in a fit of anger. It is his only signed work. VATICAN CITY -
1509
THE SCHOOL OF ATHENS BY RAPHAEL SANZIO
This fresco decorates one room in the Vatican, which was once used as a library. It represents the value of scientific thought and truth, with the great philosophers and scientists of the classical world and also of the Renaissance. Raphael changed their faces for those of the artists of his time whom he admired (Plato's character was painted with the face of Leonardo da Vinci). A self-portrait of Raphael also appears, being the only figure that looks towards the viewer. VATICAN CITY -
Period: 1520 to 1521
REVOLT OF THE COMUNEROS IN CASTILLA
When King Charles I arrived in Spain, he raised taxes to cover his expenses and trips, although the people had difficulties in being able to pay these taxes. He also put friends from Germany in the most powerful positions. This made the nobles of Castile see their privileged situation in danger in favor of other foreigners and they started a revolt so that Spain would have a Spanish king and not a German king who did not love his kingdom.
The Comuneros were defeated, with their leaders beheaded -
Period: 1568 to
THE EIGHTY YEARS WAR
War in which the Netherlands rebelled against its king Philip II of Spain and after which they achieved their independence after the Peace of Westphalia. After the war, the Netherlands had great economic and cultural progress, thanks to its powerful navy and merchant fleet. For the Spanish Crown this defeat represented a loss of prestige. The economic maintenance of the war for such a prolonged period was one of the causes of the collapse and bankruptcy of Spain's economy. -
Period: 1568 to 1571
THE REBELLION OF THE ALPUJARRAS
The Moorish population who lived in the Alpujarra mountains of the Kingdom of Granada took up arms in protest against the Pragmatic Sanction of 1567, which limited their cultural freedoms (the Moriscos were forced to leave their Islamic way of life and customs to truly convert to Catholicism) . When the kingdom of Philip II defeated the rebels, some surviving Moors were deported to various parts of the rest of the Crown of Castile and others were sold as slaves within Spain. -
THE DEFEAT OF THE SPANISH ARMADA BY ENGLAND
The Spanish Armada (known as the Invincible Armada) was a large fleet of ships that was created under the reign of Philip II of Spain to invade England, and end the support given by Queen Elizabeth I (sister of the king's late wife). ) to the Netherlands for independence from Spain. For several reasons, such as the headwind and the great management that the English had of their ships, smaller and more manageable, Spain was defeated. -
Period: to
BAROQUE ART
The Baroque was an artistic period of exuberance, beauty, great expressiveness and drama that began in Italy and spread in a short time throughout Europe and America. The Church and the aristocracy used this artistic movement, with the best artists of the moment, to show their power and spread their beliefs. It is characterized by paintings with great use of light and shadows, sculptures full of movement and emotion, grandiose architecture and lyrical poetry. -
APOLLO AND DAPHNE BY BERNINI
Sculpture that tells the story of the heartbreak caused by Eros, who shot a golden arrow (love) at Apollo and a lead arrow (heartbreak) at Daphne, as revenge for Apollo's mockery.
Daphne, fleeing from Apollo, asked her father for help to hide. When Apollo was about to hug her, her father turned her into a laurel tree. The god Apollo decided to wear a crown on his head made from the leaves of the tree into which his beloved had become (the laurel is the symbol of Apollo)
BORGHESE MUSEUM - ROME -
SAINT PETER´S SQUARE PROYECT BY BERNINI
Pope Alexander VII ordered this plaza to be built because he wanted everyone in the world to have a meeting place where they could witness the Pope giving his blessings. It was built on the place where the apostle Peter, considered the first pope, was murdered. The columns in the square symbolize the open arms of the "mother church", which is St. Peter's Basilica. The Egyptian obelisk in the center, brought by Caligula in the year 39, is a sundial and a solar calendar. VATICAN CITY -
THE SPINNERS BY VELAZQUEZ
In this painting we have a scene from a tapestry workshop but deeper in the background a mythological fable is represented, which takes place in a tapestry.
The goddess Athena (inventor of the spinning wheel) and the mortal Arachne compete to see who was the best weaver. Athena weaves a tapestry with the gods of Olympus defeating humans. In the Arachne tapestry the god Zeus appears conquering other girls. Athena considers it an affront and turns Arachne into a spider. PRADO MUSEUM - MADRID -
Period: to
NEOCLASSICAL ART
Neoclassical art, which emerged in France, wanted to return to the ideals of classical antiquity, eliminating the decorative excesses of the Baroque and focusing on simplicity, symmetry and proportion.
The main characteristics of neoclassical art are the imitation of classical antiquity, the representation of historical and mythological themes, the use of geometric shapes and defined lines.
With neoclassical art, the moral values of freedom and patriotism were expressed above personal feelings -
OATH OF THE HORATII BY JACQUES-LOUIS DAVID
Represents the moment in which three brothers swear to their father to fight to the death in a war between two neighboring towns where part of their family lives. The rulers of each town decided that, instead of ordering their armies to fight each other, they should choose three people to fight for them all.
There is a conflict between duty to his country and feelings (fighting against their own family).
This painting was made to emphasize the loyalty due to the country.
LOUVRE MUSEUM - PARIS -
CARLOS IV OF SPAIN AND HIS FAMILY BY FRANCISCO DE GOYA
Goya was in charge of representing the entire royal family, even those who had already died, or those who were yet to arrive. It is Queen Maria Luisa who has the real importance in the painting, since she was the one in charge, with the king having a calmer character. The royal family didn't want to pose all together, so he made individual sketches and then integrated them into the painting. Goya also appears in the painting PRADO MUSEUM - MADRID