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Period: 1400 to
The Renaissance Art
It began in Italy and is one of the most important movements of the history and many advances in different fields were made. It is based on the idea of humanism and recreates the art of the classical cultures (Roman and Greek).
Other characteristics of the Renaissance art were: the fresco paintings, that are painted directly on the wall, oil paintings, and the art pieces were not so closed to religion.
Some examples of Renaissance artist are: Donatello, Bosch, da Vinci, Michelangelo, and more. -
1420
Florence Cathedral's dome by Brunelleschi
The cathedral was started in 1296 by Arnolfo di Cambio, his project was smaller than the one that end up being built. It was the world's largest church and the dome is considered one of the greatest ever built. The dome consist of to layers, Brunelleschi designed machines to move the building materials vertical and horizontally. The dome was considered Gothic, but Brunelleschi was considered the one that renewed the Roman architecture. -
1498
Pietá by Michelangelo Buonarroti
Nowadays it's situated in the Basilica of San Pedro in The Vatican City, and it represents the Virgin holding Jesus after the crucifixion. It has become an icon of Renaissance and it's one of the greatest sculptures of all time. If you look closely you can appreciate the sadness of the Virgin and that it's represented as a really young woman. In 1972 the sculpture was damaged and the face and the hand of the Virgin was broken with a hammer and now is behind a protective glass to avoid damage. -
1509
The school of Athens by Raphael Sanzio
This fresco painting is one of the most significant artwork of the Renaissance and the most well-known of Raphael Sanzio. It was ordered by Pope Julius II to decorate his private apartment. As in the greek culture there weren't many portraits he had to imagine how the philosophers would look like, so he was inspired on people he knew. It shows Platon and Aristotle surrounded by other philosophers, we can also see Michelangelo as Heraclitus and a self portrait of the artist in the right side. -
Period: 1520 to 1521
The revolt of the Comuneros in Castilla
This revolt took place during the reign of Carlos I, who barely spoke Castilian when he first came to the country and treated Castile as insignificant. As the taxes increased, many avoid paying them and the economic crisis grew. Royal representatives were expelled from many cities and the commoners formed provisional government, as the monarch was absent; they wanted Juana La Loca to became the queen. It all ended after the battle of Villalar, where they executed the leaders of the revolt. -
Period: 1568 to 1571
The rebellion of the Alpujarras
The moriscos of Granada rebelled against the king Felipe II after he tried to deport them.
When the Reconquista ended, the muslims converted to catholicism, but did not abandoned their culture and were catalogued as moriscos. The validos of Felipe II prohibited this practice and had serious economical consequences. The night of Christmas, some officials were killed in the region of Alpujarras. Thanks to Juan of Austria they won and some years later the moriscos were finally expelled. -
Period: 1568 to
The Eighty Years War
It was the war between Netherlands (United Provinces) and Spain.
This was the decline of the Spanish Empire, the main causes of the conflict were the political and religious policies of King Felipe II. The army was lead by the 3rd Duke of Alba. In 1609 The Twelve Years Truce was signed, but after those years passed the war started again under the reign of Felipe III. To end the conflict, the Peace of Westphalia was signed and the Netherlands became independent. -
The defeat of the Spanish Armada by England
The Spanish armada "The most fortunate fleet", sent by King Philip II of Spain and was the largest of the time(150 boats and 18000 men). It was sent to England because of the religious and political conflicts between both countries, and was commanded by the Duke of Medina-Sidonia. The armada failed mostly because of the bad weather and other similar factors. Of the 150 boats sent, only 65 returned to Spain. The English armada was smaller and was commanded by Charles Howard and Sir Frances Drake. -
Period: to
Baroque Art
It began in Italy, but it quickly spread around Europe and eventually worldwide. It is known for its drama and its highly ornate. It usually represents the hierarchical society of that time.
Baroque buildings and sculptures were also dramatic and they were used to reinforce the power of absolute monarchs, an example of it is the Palace of Versailles in France.
It also had an impact in the theatre with great costumes.
Some important artists are: Johannes Vermeer, Caravaggio, Velazquez and more. -
Apollo and Daphne by Bernini
It shows the myth of Apollo and Daphne, in which Cupid's golden arrow (love) pierces in Apollo's heart and the lead arrow (disgust) in Daphne's, it shows the exact moment in which Daphne started to transform into a laurel tree, as a way to escape from the unrequited love of Apollo. If you see the statue from different angles you could see that the expressions are more detailed and the meaning could be different. It is also one of the most well-know sculpture and its located in Rome. -
Saint Peter's square project by Bernini
It was built during the time of Pope Alexander VII to make a space for the people to go there and see the cathedral. The shape of the square changed from rectangular to an oval one, as the rectangle shape didn't let the people see the Pope's balcony during his speeches. It is surrounded by arches that consist of 284 columns and 88 pilasters, on top of the columns you can find 140 statues that represents different saints and on the center there is an Egyptian obelisk brought to Rome by Caligula. -
The Spinners by Velázquez
It's one of the most well-known painting of Velazquez and it's a representation of the fable of Arachne, in which Athena transformed Arachne into a spider after she humiliated her during a competition to see who was a better spinner. The painting shows some women working at the Royal Tapestry Factory of Santa Isabel in Madrid. It was created for Don Pedro de Arce, King Philip IV's hunter and it consist on two acts carried out in different times, as in the 18th century some changes were made. -
Period: to
Neoclassical art
Like the Renaissance, Neoclassicism had an influence from classical art of Ancient Rome and Greece. The term Neoclassicism means that the art has been made at that time but makes reference to the ancient culture, as it was born while important archeological discoveries were made, sculpture and architecture were also influenced by these archeological discoveries. Some important artist are: Anton Rafael Mengs, Angelica Huffman, Jacques-Louis Davis, etc. -
Oath of the Horatii by Jacques-Louis David
It shows three brothers saluting towards three swords, held by their parent. And the women behind them cry. It has similar subject as other paintings but the intense emotion was something new. This revolutionary painting changed French art. David was a political propaganda painter and a lot of what we know of Napoleon's persona and the iconography of the French Revolution is thanks to him. He was also the father of Neoclassical art, which depicts the classical myths with contemporary politics. -
Carlos IV of Spain and his family by Francisco de Goya
It is an oil painting that shows the family of Carlos IV of Spain and it's one of the greatest paintings of Goya. He also appears at the back of the painting, as he admired Velazquez, who did the same with Las Meninas. We can see the king and his wife with the royal heir in the middle and the other members of the family and court surrounding them.
This painting is now placed in the Prado Museum.
A characteristic thing about Goya is that moved from jolly to darker themes in his paintings.