A Brief Look at the Siglo de Oro or Golden Age of Spanish Culture for students in the Ist year of Masters in Spanish in Doon University. PPT is for further reference. Detailed explanations have been given in class and BBC documentary on Art of Spain has also been shown.

1. Created by Swagata Kumar Basu, Asstt. Prof, Doon University
For SLS 105 Intro to Spanish History and Culture

2.  What is Siglo de Oro?
 Political situation in Spain during the 16th century
 Renaissance- General Description
 Renaissance in Spain: Art, Architecture and Literature
 Political Situation in Spain during the 17th century
 Baroque- General Description
 Baroque in Spain: Art, Architecture and Literature

3.  Habsburg Dynasty’s Rule begins
 Carlos V (1517 to 1556)
 Felipe II (1556 to 1598)
 Inquisition continues
 Spain fights several wars against France, Muslims and
Protestantism
 Inflation increases because of the riches coming from
the New World

4.  It is the name given to the 16th and 17th century in
Spain’s history as that was the most fecund and rich
period in terms of artistic, cultural, arquitectural and
literary production
 This period is unmatched to any other period of
Spanish history
 The greatest Spanish painters, writers, dramatists all
emerged and created their masterpieces during this
period
 All the classics: Cervantes, Velázquez, Greco, Lope de
Vega, Calderon de la Barca are just a few of the long
list we will see in this presentation

5.  Renaissance
 Approx. 16th century
 Rise of Spanish Empire
 Celebrates Harmony,
Simplicity
 Optimistic, Hopeful
 Open and Transparent
 The beginning of change
 Baroque
 Approx. 17th century
 Decadence of Spanish
Empire
 Projects Complexity
 Pessimistic, Disappointed
 Hidden and Dark
 A further refinement of
cultural change

7. Dominated by appreciation of harmony and simplicity. Quite
realistic in many cases. Religion plays an important role.
Ref lects the spirit of man capable of creating his own destiny.

8.  Factors that influenced the
rise of literature
 The emergence of a
wealthy trading class , the
burguesía, which was
interested in leisure
activities and were ready to
spend money on
entertainment such as
reading, theatre, operas
etc.
 The newly developed
technology that facilitated
printing books
 Themes: Love, Woman’s
Beauty, Nature
 Also Carpe Diem (Sieze the
day), Eternity
 Also in Spain- religious
themes
 Rise of novels

9. Celestina , Fernando de
Rojas, 1499, transition work
between Middle Age and
Renassaince
According to the
classical Greek rules

10.  Introduced Italian poetic forms such as the Sonnet to Spain.
 He was a very heroic warrior and poet typical of his time, but
unthinkable in Middle Ages
 Observe below the typical structure of a Sonnet
 His poetry dealt with themes of Love, Beauty, Nature and Carpe Diem

11.  While the Reform movement of Catholicism was one of the





major factors behind Renaissance in Europe Spain was
dominated by Counter-reform against it
However religious poetry in Spain did not reinforce the
dogmatic orthodoxy of the catholic church
It brought God closer to his followers through the
movement of Mysticism which believes God can be
experienced in one’s own self if one is really a believer
It is similar to Bhakti movement of India or Sufi of Islam
Santa Teresa de Jesus, San Juan de la Cruz
There were other non Mystic but religious poets for eg. Fray
Luis de Leon who taught theology at the University of
Salamanca and was even tried by the Inquisition

12. San Juan de la Cruz
Santa Teresa de Jesus

13.  Novels (not in the modern sense though) were quite
popular during this time like Pastoral Novels, Knight
Errant Tales, Novela Morisca, Picaresque novels
 Out of these the Picaresque novel emerged in Spain
with the anonymous work La vida de Lazarillo de
Tormes, about a poor little boy who is forced to serve
several masters to earn his living through which he
learns the tricks necessary to survive in a cruel world
 It is a very realistic depiction of society of Spain in 16th
century
 Even in the 17th century major Spanish writers such as
Quevedo and Mateo Aleman continued to write this
type of novels

14. Lazarillo by
Goya (19th
century painter)

15. Ref lects Disappointment, Pessimism, Deception. Language
uses Exaggeration, Complex Metaphors. Questions what is
reality?

16.  Spain lost its hegemony at the end of the Thirty Years







War (1618-1648)
Felipe III (1598-1621)
Felipe IV (1621- 1665)
Carlos II (1665-1700)
The last two kings practically left the running of the
country in the hands of their favourites
Spain remained a feudal society
The hidalgos considered themselves to be too superior
to work
This feudal mentality and the Inquisition did not
promote scientific and technological improvements

17.  Reaction to this among the intellectuals produced a lot
of negative feelings such as disappointment,
disillusion and pessimism
 In culture it got translated into either escapism or
criticism, satire, irony etc.
 The themes “Nothing is real, everything is an illusion”
and “Life is too short” become important
 From simplicity and harmony artists move towards
complexity and darkness

18. Quevedo
Góngora
 Complex at conceptual
 Master of using the
level therefore his style is
called Conceptismo
 A bit difficult to
understand because of
the depth of his concepts
 He was also a prose
writer
language in a complex
but beautiful way, so his
style is called
Culteranismo
 More difficult to
understand
 He was only a poet

19. Gongora, el hombre a una nariz
pegada according to Quevedo

20. Lope de Vega
Calderón de la Barca
 The most popular dramatist
 Was a court dramatist





of his time and probably ever
in Spain
Created the New Rules of
Comedy
Themes of Honour, Courage,
Heroism, el Pueblo (common
people)
Different languages spoken
by characters according to
their class
Major popular form of
entertainment for the masses
Fuenteovejuna
 Had more resources to




improve stage technique,
better settings
Dealt with the same
themes but in a more
refined way
More philosophical
Meant for the elites, not
popular form of
entertainment
La vida es sueño

21. Lope de Vega
Calderon de la Barca

22.  We look at him last
because he was part of
both Renassaince and
Baroque
 Also he wrote every form
of literature : prose,
poetry and drama.
 Simply the greatest
Spanish writer of all time
 His masterpiece is Don
Quijote de la Mancha

23.  Published in two parts in 1605 and 1616
 Considered to be one of the greatest works of universal
literature and the first modern novel
 Deals with the conflict between Reality and
Imagination or Realism vs Idealism
 A satire of Novelas de Caballería’ Knight Errant Tales
 Plot Summary follows

24. Alonso Quijano, a poor
and old hidalgo who lives
in la Mancha is an
obsessive reador of
Knight Errant tales. One
day he goes crazy…
And begins to believe
himself to be a
knight. He names
himself Don Quijote
de la Mancha and his
horse Rocinante and
sets out to travel and
find adventures

25. He finds a squire, his friend and companion, Sancho Panza. A typical pot
bellied short manchego. Don Quijote and Sancho Panza are each other’s
opposite. Don Quijote is only concerned with the ideal world, the golden
age of honour, bravery and justice. while Sancho represents the mundane
reality of the common man.

26. The two set out to find adventures and several episodes take place. The most
commonly cited is the episode of the windmills. Don Quijote spots several
windmills and think them to be monsters with four hands.

27. Naturally as a brave knight he decides to fight with the monster ignoring
Sancho´s warning that they are nothing but windmill

28. Naturally as a brave knight he decides to fight with the monster ignoring
Sancho´s warning that they are nothing but windmill

29. He gets
brutally hurt
but even then
he continues
to believe that
it was a
magical trick
of his enemy
which
converted the
monster into a
windmill at the
last moment

31. Inspired by Roman Architecture, Beauty in Symmetry,
Importance of Places of Learning

32. Monastery of El Escorial, Near
Madrid, built under Felipe II

33. University of Alcala de
Hernares, near Madrid

34. University of Salamanca,
Salamanca

35. Over decoration, intricate designs, new and unique strutures to
create mysterious light and shadow effects

36. Plaza Mayor de Salamanca

38.  One of the most outstanding features of the Cathedral is
the Baroque altarpiece called El Transparente. Its name refers to the
unique illumination provided by a large skylight cut very high up into
the thick wall across the ambulatory behind the high altar, and another
hole cut into the back of the altarpiece itself to allow shafts of sunlight
to strike the tabernacle. This lower hole also allows persons in the
ambulatory to see through the altarpiece to the tabernacle, so that they
are seeing though its transparency, so to speak. The work was
commissioned by Diego de Astorga y Céspedes, Archbishop of Toledo,
who wished to mark the presence of the Holy Sacrament with a
glorious monument. El Transparente is several storeys high and is
extraordinarily well-executed with fantastic figures done
in stucco,painting, bronze castings, and multiple colors of marble; it is
a masterpiece of Baroque mixed media by Narciso Tomé and his four
sons (two architects, one painter and one sculptor). The illumination is
enhanced when the Mass is being said in the mornings and the sun
shines from the east, shafts of sunlight from the appropriately oriented
skylight striking the tabernacle through the hole in the back of the
retable, giving the impression that the whole altar is rising to heaven.

39. Façade of the Santiago de Compstela Cathedral, this intricate overdecoration is known as
the Churriguera style, named after the Churriguera family

40. Altarpiece designed by Jose de Churriguera (the main architect of the
Churriguera family) for the Convent of San Esteban in Salamanca

41. Difficult for us to distinguish between Renaissance and Baroque.
Many styles emerged during this period. Religious themes
dominate. Also common are portraits of royals and nobles. There
are also some examples of day to day life being depicted in
paintings by Velazquez and Murillo. The following are the most
important ones, there were many others.

42.  Renaissance Painter
 Worked for Felipe II
 Did in most of his paintings what was expected of
painters at that time-- Represent religious themes and messages without any
ambiguity to evoke devotion in people

43. St. Peter and St. Paul

45.  Specialist of Martyrdom paintings

46. Martyrdom of St.
Bartolome

47. A selfportrait by El
Greco

48. This is “Disrobing of
Christ”
He faced problems
with the Church and
Court for his artistic
expression which
did not fit into the
rule book of Spanish
Inquisition.

49. Burial of Count of Orgaz,
Greco’s Masterpiece

50. Toledo

52. Young beggar by Murillo, He painted several such paintings with profane
themes

59. An old woman frying eggs

61. Las Meninas, Velazquez’s Masterpiece

62. www.wikipaintings.org/en/artists-by-nation/spanish
www.spainisculture.com/
For History Refer: www.spainthenandnow.com/
Thank you for watching and Good Luck with the Exams