Spanish Golden Age

primary cities

Madrid, Seville

At this point, the Spanish Empire is at its largest, with Emperor

Charles Hapsburg V

Philip II takes the throne in

1548

The Spanish crown loved Italian artists, but Spanish painters generally only saw

reproductions

Ribera moved to Naples and was elected to the Academy of St. Luke. He was known for painting

gruesome martyrdoms

paragone

comparison. The debate of text or image as being better for communication

Ribera, The Sense of Taste

1615-16 paintings depicting the 5 senses. Very rustic. Caravaggio influence.

Ribera completed a limited number of

mythological paintings

a braying donkey is a reference to

debauchery

The Clubfooted Boy

1642 - a mature work. A broken body is closer to the divine, and invokes the Christian value of charity. Not using his cane - has a soldier-like pose.

Though the Clubfooted Boy is full body, a full bodied portrait is normally for

the elite

The low horizon is used to

monumentize the subject

this painting is taken on by some

medical journals

Patrons are showing an interest in

rustic content

Still lives at this point are

a relatively new genre

Christ on the Cross

Zurbaran, 1627. Christ, cross, and a dark background- common in Spanish art

Zurbaran’s depiction is unique for its

peasant physique, rather than classical/Italian renaissance

Zurbaran is competing with

polychrome sculptures

The counter reformation says this many nails are used

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