International Art Day is celebrated on April 15, a date on which UNESCO seeks to pay tribute to this special human facet. Painting, sculpture, music, architecture... There are many different branches and manifestations of this phenomenon that has accompanied humanity since its origins and has served to shape its identity and culture. To celebrate it, we bring you five spectacular works that you can visit in Spain and some curiosities about them.
- The three Graces
Between 1630 and 1635, Rubens set to work to create one of the most spectacular works of European Baroque: The Three Graces. This trio of female figures embrace and dance in a landscape of light and vegetation in a hymn to the love that the painter felt for his second wife, Helena Fourment. For this reason, it was a painting that remained in Rubens' private collection until his death, when it was auctioned and acquired by the Spanish King Philip IV.
The three Graces or Cárites of Greek mythology, Aglaya, Euphrosyne and Thalia, appear for the first time in Hesiod's Theogony, the account of the origin of the cosmos and the gods. Their origin varies according to the sources, since in some accounts they are cited as daughters of Zeus and Eurynome, but others point to Hera.
They have been associated with various attributes, such as harmony, beauty or creativity and appeared in the company of the goddess Aphrodite. In this painting also appears Cupid or Eros, god of Love, in the upper right corner, next to a cornucopia and fountain that symbolize a dispenser of love.
In addition to portraying his wife in the Grace on the left, experts have discovered a surprising fact in this painting. Science and art have come together to point out that, according to the way the breast of the muse on the right is depicted in this and other works by Rubens, it is quite possible that she suffered from breast cancer.
Even in this work of bucolic character, the dramatism in the movement of the figures, typical of the painter's style, can be appreciated. Dynamism, opulent colors and voluptuous nudes blend in this baroque representation of the classical myth by Rubens to make it one of the most impressive pieces in the Prado Museum.
- Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba
One of the most spectacular monuments in Spain is located in Cordoba. Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1984, the Mosque-Cathedral is an example of how different historical layers have been superimposed on the same heritage element to result in a unique ensemble in the world.
The story begins in the 6th century, when Cordoba was still a Visigothic site. On the site where the Mezquita stands today, there was a Visigothic basilica dedicated to St. Vincent. It was Abd al-Rahman I, the first independent emir of Cordoba and a member of the Umayyad dynasty, who gave the order to begin construction of the temple. Subsequently, it would be expanded by Abd al-Rahman II, Abd al Rahman III, Al-Hakam II and Almanzor.
Its two-story horseshoe arches combined with semicircular and two-colored voussoirs have become an unmistakable symbol of Hispano-Muslim art. Also impressive is the spectacular gold leaf and lapis lazuli mosaics that decorate the mihrab, the open space above the quibla wall.
In the 13th century, after the Christian conquest, the temple was consecrated to Catholic worship. From this moment on, the different Catholic elements were built on top of the Muslim structures, such as the Royal Chapel or the High Altarpiece, until reaching our days as a mixture that makes it unmistakable.
- Portrait of Giovanna degli Albizzi Tornabuoni
The portrait of Giovanna Tornabuoni is one of the most paradigmatic examples of this genre of Florentine Renaissance painting. Its author, Ghirlandaio, represents in it this young woman from the waist in a rigorous profile to highlight her slender forms. It is not the only existing portrait of Giovanna Tornabuoni, but it is very interesting to note that it is a portrait finished at the death of the model.
The background, despite not presenting a landscape, manages to increase the sensation of depth thanks to the niche, which houses different objects representative of the personality and public life of the portrayed woman during her lifetime: jewelry, a rosary of coral beads or a book.
In addition to the virtuosity with which the artist paints the hair or the details of the clothes, the cartouche where one can read: "Would that art could reproduce the character and the spirit! In all the earth a more beautiful picture would be found". This is an epigram by the Roman poet Martial, originally from the city of Bílbilis (Calatayud), in Hispania.
- Charles V Palace
The Alhambra in Granada, a Hispano-Muslim palace and defensive complex, has impressed visitors for many centuries. King Charles V was no exception, so he decided it was the ideal place to insert an impressive Renaissance palace.
The appearance of the Palace of Charles V could not contrast more with its surroundings: a colossal quadrangular plant of 63 meters on each side and 17 meters high with a circular inner courtyard. All, of course, in the purest Renaissance style. On the outside, the two levels of construction stand out, the first of which is composed of remarkably cushioned ashlars and a combination of rectangular and circular windows. Once you enter the interior, you are greeted by a huge circular arcaded courtyard surrounded by Doric columns on the lower floor and Ionic columns on the upper floor.
In short, a splendid work of architecture in an incomparable space that becomes one of the imperative visits when visiting Granada.
- Portrait of Philip II
One of the most recognizable royal portraits is that of Philip II dressed in his classic all-black attire. Resting on his chest is the Golden Fleece, an order linked to the Habsburg dynasty.
This painting, which for centuries has served to put a face to the monarch in whose empire the sun did not set, was erroneously attributed to Alonso Sánchez Coello. Fortunately, art historians eventually discovered that it was actually by the Italian artist.
Sofonisba arrived in Spain in 1559 and became a lady-in-waiting to Queen Isabella of Valois. Madrid did not prevent the artist from continuing to paint portraits that reflected the personality and special character of the models, even though she never held a position related to art.
The portrait of Philip II was made in 1573. It is a painting designed to be paired with a similar one of Anne of Austria, the fourth wife of the monarch. Today, Sofonisba is one of the most recognized artists in the permanent collection of the Prado Museum and a must-see in this art gallery.
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