The main characteristics of the Golden Age they are the flourishing of Spanish art, the creation of the national theater of Spain and the construction of important architectural gems.
It is called Spanish Golden Age to the period between 1492 and 1681. It was a time of great artistic flourishing.
This flowering was promoted by great writers such as Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra and the painter Diego Velázquez, and was sponsored by one of the most important dynasties in Europe: the Habsburgs.
The Golden Age comprises two distinct and well-differentiated aesthetic stages: the Renaissance and the Baroque .
The arts reached a period of unique splendor, setting precedents for the foundation of the Royal Spanish Academy.
Main characteristics
1- Painting: realism in each brushstroke
Two of the most outstanding painters of this period were Diego Velázquez and El Greco.
In the case of Velázquez, his portraits were admired for their realistic approach without losing the artistic emotion. Example of this is his famous work Las Meninas .
El Greco, of Italian origin, incorporated a new style in landscape painting.
2- Music: creation far from the control of the clergy
Composers such as Alonso Lobo and Francisco Guerrero introduced a new way of composing music.
This moved away from the religious standards of the time, introducing a style that captured emotions such as joy and despair.
3- Literature: birth of the first polyphonic novel
The beginning of the Golden Age was the publication of the book Grammar of the Spanish language by Antonio de Nebrija.
This work was of vital importance since it meant the antecedent to consider the grammar as a discipline for the study of the rules of the Spanish.
Literary production reached its climax with The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quijote of La Mancha , by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra.
This work combined elements of satire and romance to tell the adventures and misadventures of a gentleman.
It was considered the first polyphonic novel; that is, a novel in which competing visions of the world were presented.
The poetic work found representatives in the figures of Garcilaso de la Vega and Francisco de Quevedo.
The theater invaded the streets and the works were represented in spaces known as comedy corrals.
The great exponents of the theater were Lope de Vega, Tirso de Molina and Calderón de la Barca.
4- Cultural exchange in the sciences
Although the Church was still very present in the social and political decisions of the time, the cultural exchange with the Arabs and the populations of the New World influenced the development of sciences such as medicine and physics.
5- New trends in architectural design
During the Golden Age there were different architectural styles that included Mannerism, Gothic, Plateresque and Herrerian.
Cities such as Granada, Madrid and Salamanca were chosen to develop emblematic buildings such as the Palace of Carlos V, the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial and the University of Salamanca, respectively.
The Golden Age sheltered great thinkers such as Fray Bartolomé de las Casas, who harshly criticized the role of Spanish colonization in the new continent, defending the rights of indigenous peoples.
Another fundamental thinker was Francisco de Vitoria, one of the great professors of the University of Salamanca, who laid the foundations for current international law.
References
- Daniel Eisenberg," Romances of Chivalry in the Spanish Golden Age " Retrieved on December 7, 2017 from Cervantesvirtual.com
- Ines Powell,"The Golden Age of Spanish Painting." Retrieved on December 7, 2017 from metmuseum.org
- Chrishopher Muscato,"The Spanish Golden Age: Growth of Power & the Arts". Retrieved on December 7, 2017 from study.com
- Jamie Katz,"Velázquez: Embodiment of a Golden Age", 2011. retrieved on December 7 from smithsoniamag.com
- Martin Mutschlechner,"The Spanish Golden Age"Recovered on December 7, 2017 from habsburger.net"12 Interesting Facts About The Ancient Mayans"(Nov. 2012) in Educating Humanity retrieved on May 8, 2017 from Educating Humanity: educatinghumanity.com