In this blog you are to comment on one or more of the assigned articles in relation with any of the topics touched on in the lecture PDFs every week. Your posts should be brief (150 words or the equivalent to 1 paragraph) and, most importantly, a reflection of your preparation for class.
Sec 1F - Week 8
The Napoleonic Invasion, 19th Century Civil Wars and Portugal
I found the article about latin American countries gaining independence interesting. They first talk about how SPanish born people held important positions, but creoloes, who were born in the americas felt frustrated that they could not do the same. Secondly, they were not allowed to trade with anyone but Spain. Thirdly they could look at other revolutions like the American revolution in which the people had the power. Fourthly, Spain weakened after Charles the III and during the French invasion. Lastly, they the natives identified as Americans and not Spaniards.
Also the article about Jose Saramago brings up this controversial idea about Portugal and Spain being inevitably unified. He argues that already many groups speaking different languages are able to coexist. However, just the idea of it angered many portuguese who see Spain as their competitor.
The youtube video brings up the Prado Museum and the Royal palace in Madrid which are examples of neoclassicism. This style came in Spain as a reaction to the Renaissance style which was perceived as anti-Spanish and more associated with modernization.
La unión de España con Portugal es algo que yo pienso que les podría beneficiar a los dos países. Los dos países tendrían mas poder y también mas negocios nacionales. Seria bueno para los dos, pero no creo que Portugal quiera unirse con España porque seria como perder su propia cultura y esto no les gustaría a muchos. El articulo de las causas de la independencia en las américas fue muy interesante, yo sabia que a los criollos no se les trataba igual que a los españoles pero nunca pensé que era tanta la diferencia y que también los españoles fueron culpables de sus perdidas porque no dejaban a la gente de las américas hacer negocios con otros países. También el articulo de Napoleón me gusto mucho y me pareció el mas interesante. Yo no sabia que mas franceses murieron en España que en Rusia, estas cosas me parecen muy interesantes porque yo siempre pensaba que la mayoría de los franceses murieron en Rusia
According to lecture, Francisco de Goya set the pattern for art of the 19th C, the century of romanticism and realism. Originally Goya created tapestry cartoons, which included scenes of everyday Spanish life; his art was characterized as an optimistic view of 18th Century Spanish society. However, after becoming deaf, Goya’s artwork experienced a transformation. Goya began to create “black paintings”, which went deep into the darkest part of mind and portrayed horrifying pictures of the irrational bestiality of human behavior. According to the article, “Master of Macabre” Goya’s art reached its peak during the Age of Reason, and his artwork exhibited the notion of the time, that contrary to past belief, humans were shaped by their environment. This new revitalization led artists to revive the importance of exhibiting passion and sentimentality in their artwork. Goya’s art borrowed images from Spanish folklore and superstitions, to create devastating images of the instability and cruelty of Spanish society. Goya’s art transformed from illustrations that depicted the optimistic view of Spanish society to art that captured the realistic view of all the horrors that were brought about by Napoleon’s invasion of the Iberian Peninsula in 1808.
Francisco de Goya was a very interesting painter during the Age of Reason. This painter first started painting tapestry cartoons of everyday Spanish life; however, once he became deaf, his paintings changed radically, becoming the most horrifying pictures ever painted. According to the article, Master of Macabre, Goya painted some very bizarre, monstrous and supernatural paintings called “black paintings” after he became deaf. His art contained enlightenment ideals of reason and conflicting nightmare scenes, showing for the first time that war was horrific and inglorious; there existed no heroes in wars, only killers and victims. Some of his most popular paintings are Los Caprichos, Los Desastres de la Guerra, Los Disparates, El Sueño de la Razon Produce Monstrous, The Third of May, 1808, Saturn Devouring His Son, and Nude Maja. Moreover, his paintings are allegories portraying power, truth, creativity and reason. All of his painting are dark and show the instability and cruelty of Spanish society. All of this instability and cruelty in Spain was due to the French occupation of Spain in 1808. Napoleon invaded all of the Iberian Peninsula and placed his brother, Joseph Bonaparte as ruler, replacing Charles IV. With this invasion, Spanish society deteriorated even more with the Madrid famine in 1811 and guerilla bands fighting off the foreign invaders. This uncertainty, instability and chaos in the Iberian Peninsula were truly depicted in Francisco de Goya’s dark paintings. I am truly left in awe at the horrifying images that Goya painted. They show the inner feelings of an individual living in the era of obscurity. This was Francisco de Goya, the “Father of Modern Art”.
Portugal and Spain will be one- According to Nobel author Jose Saramago, the country of Portugal will eventually be "swallowed up" by its bigger counterpart- Spain. However, this won't necessarily be detrimental either but there may be benefits for both sides. There is strong opposition to this idea of integration by politicians like Martins da Cruz but a poll showed that 28% of Portuguese supported the idea and also 45% of Spaniards as well. Relating this back to lecture, Portugal gained independence from Spain in 1640 with France and England’s support. Portugal thus became a well-recognized global power due to his colonial possessions (esp. Brazil) and Portuguese is the seventh most spoken language in the world. One significant event in Portuguese history was the Carnation Revolution that overthrew the 48 year old Portuguese dictatorship.
Latin America: causes of independence- This article discusses how Spain’s global empire fell apart and why the colonies rebel and declared independence. Some major points that explain this are that the creoles were ignored in the New World, there were no free trade with other countries, other revolutions inspired revolts, Spain was weakening as an empire, and an increasing sense of regional pride in the new world. Bringing this back to the topics this week, we were learning about how Spain was diminishing as a global power due to depopulation, high expenses, etc.
The Napoleonic wars and guerrilla tactic- In 1807 when Napoleon invaded the Iberian Peninsula, he thought the country would be easy to occupy but he didn't expect such resistance from the locals. The use of guerrilla warfare made Napoleon bring in more troops and use brutal force. However, this in turn create more guerrilla units and the outcome was devastating for the French as seen by the numbers of 50,000 Spanish guerrilla killing about 145,000 French soldiers. This event was termed the "Spanish Ulcer" and reminds the French that unconventional wars were not worth the commitment. Goya also incorporated the Napoleonic War into his works as seen through the “Second of May, 18008” and “The Third of May, 1808.”
Master of the Macabre- This article talks about Goya's works, which are routinely appraised for more than a million dollars. He is the most famous Spanish artist after Picasso and is known as the “Father of Modern Art.” Goya grew up in the Age of Reason and his works show passion and emotional intensity through macabre imagery. He set the pattern of art in the 19th century for romanticism and realism. Some of his best known works are the “black paintings.” His work seems to incorporate both unreasonable terror and artistic freedom to highlight his imagination. Goya’s pieces have been very influential throughout the world and they hint at some of the social problems that still exist today.
Majesty of Madrid video- Madrid is the capital of Spain and houses a population over 4 million. “Jamon” or ham is well known in Spain and there are “bull-bars” to watch bullfighting as well. Many supporters of bullfighting believe it to be an art and recognize matadors as heroes. Lastly, the Palacio Real built by Philip V Bourbon) was a grand palace that hosted lavish parties and is now a major tourist attraction site.
The first article, called the “Master of Macabre,” an article by Lucy Li talks about Goya’s work, the famous painter of the early 1800’s, and about his artwork that inspired a lot of polemic due to the kind of art that the did. She talks about how they are inspired by true events that happened, such as the takeover of the Iberian Peninsula by Napoleon Bonaparte and the horrors that followed it. She mentions how it is Goya’s interpretations and a way to tell history that drove him to draw these kinds of pictures. Pictures that depicted the horrific scenes of mutilation and what not are all part of his macabre collection of paintings. He is truly the master of Macabre.
“The Napoleonic Wars and Guerrilla Tactics” talks about the wars that happened between the people who lived in the Iberian Peninsula and those that were in the French army’s. It talks about how the French came into the peninsula, and started to “attempt” to take over but the Spanish people who lived there, did not want to let them take over, so they assembled groups of people that would combat them wherever they were until they slowly drove them out of the peninsula. Napoleon referred to the Spanish as the “Spanish Ulcer” because of how difficult it was to try and stop the Spanish and also because it was something that they didn’t expect when they went in to fight the Spanish, as they thought they were going to deal with easy opponents.
The “Latin America: Causes of Independence” explains the reasons for the independence of the countries that were once colonized by Spain and that at one point, they were gone. Among those reasons were the fact that the Spanish didn’t respect the creoles, which are people of Spanish and native descend, Spain weakened, revolutions, and of course rebellion. These were all cause of the downfall of the Spanish colonies and how they acquired their independence.
The article of “Portugal and Spain will be one, says Nobel author” talks about how Nobel Laureate Jose Saramago theorizes that Spain and Portugal will end up joining into one full country, or as he says, that Portugal will go under Spain. This comes with a lot of opposition, even from the foreign minister and Madrid ambassador Martins da Cruz. He mentions that what Saramago talks about is simply anti-Portuguese sentiment But not everyone thinks like this and in fact 28% of the people who took the survey on whether they would like to have Portugal join Spain or not, said yes they would like that and that in fact it would benefit the country/entire countries as a whole.
The youtube video called The Magesty of Madrid is very interesting because he talks about the Ham museum where they have Ham from all over the country. Rick Steve also talks about the bull fights and how it is seen in Spain as well as El Palacio Real and the beautiful architecture inside and out and all of the gold that is in it as well as the lion statutes, symbolizing the might of the monarch, along with 2 worlds near the royal chairs depicting the control of the new and old worlds.
One of the concepts that have been emphasized in class this week is Spanish aversion for anything related to French culture. As a consequence of reverse influence Spain rejected progress, reason and science, this eventually led to the fall of the Spanish empire. In Spain the ideals of Enlightenment were seen as “afrancesadas” and therefore there were rejected, as a consequence, Spain went through a period of conservatism and low tolerance. In addition to the tension between supporters of enlightenment and extreme nationalists, the invasion of Napoleon deepened the extent to which Spaniards saw progressivism as a negative movement. Considering that Napoleon used enlightenment justifications (such as the need for progress and modernization) in order to invade Spain many Spaniards associated such ideas with treason against Iberian identity. The dislike against the French and progressive ideas went as far as to the formation of guerrillas by commoners in order to defeat the French. Napoleon calculated that Spanish military was weak and could not resist a French invasion, yet, Napoleon failed to evaluate the extent at which Spaniards hated foreigners. Moreover, the Spanish people formed guerrillas and adopted unconventional war tactics, which eventually led to the expulsion of the French and the return of Spanish monarchs. Also, even after the invasion was over, the strong feeling of aversion to liberal and progressive ideas intensified. Under the kingdom of Ferninand the Seventh, Liberals and Progressivists were expelled from the nation, which caused Spain to lose many crucial intellectuals and to engage in a regressive period.
The French Revolution of the year 1789 not only ended the old Bourbon regime in France but also directly affected Spain due to the Spanish-French alliance under "The Family Pact." A couple years later Louis XVI is executed and there is terror until 1795. Napoleon Bonaparte takes advantage of this situation, leads a moderate-backed militar coup and creates the consulate in 1799. Napoleon goes on to defeat Austria and Britain during the years 1801-1802 and then eventually invades the Iberian Peninsula in July of 1807.
Initially, Napoleon believed that his military invasion into Spain would be relatively easy due to perceived Spanish weakness after the Spaniards terrible defeat at the battle of Trafalgar. Napoleon met his resistance mostly from the peasants and common people who fought valiently in the form of guerilla warfare. Napoleon did go on to defeat the conventional Spanish forces quite easily but was forced to bring in thousands of extra troops in response to the guerilla warfare in the Iberian Peninsula.
The brutality that the French imposed on the common people of the Iberian Peninsula is what really ignited the bands of guerrila soldiers. According to the article "The Napoleonic Wars and Guerilla Tactics" more Frenchman died in the Iberian Peninsula fighting guerillas than in Napoleons invasion of Russia in 1812. Napoleon referred to the situation in the Iberian Peninsua as the "Spanish Ulcer."
Reading the causes of Latin American becoming Independent was probably one of the most insightful articles I've come across. The lists the article provides demonstrates the many reasons why such an empire dismantle and hence ultimately lost their influence over an entire continent. Impressive as it was to control north, centra,l and south America under one crown, the Spanish crown was in over its head when decided to keep all of its colonies meanwhile the french invasion was going on and the british were simultaneously inserting themselves into trade with the colonies. Thus it should not shock audiences when they realize that it was during this specific time frame of the 19th century that many of the colonies became independent. While Spain was occupied dealing with internal problems such as the napoleonic invasion, the colonies saw this as the perfect opportunity to thrive on their own with Britain as their primary source. Britain not only purchased goods but invaded certain parts of South American. Hence their presence became a dominant one in South American when they took over certain territories.
The two articles that I found most appealing were of Napoleon's invasion as well as reasons for latin American revolution. Firstly, with Napoleon it's interesting to see guerrilla tactics in action again as the last time we saw Spain defend itself using it was through Viriato against the Romans. These tactics were a financial relief of sort to the Spaniards since they are not concentrating influx of money and men to one battlefield but rather spread out over areas and through unconventional warfare frustrating their opponents. They are not necessarily killing them, but they are finding ways to frustrate them enough to pour more money and men into their end of the war to the point that they have to retreat. Secondly, Latin America's rebellion is particularly fascinating as multiple instances of it have been observed in the present day. For instance, Spain's inability to control a port territory without conflict that is in Morocco shows that presence of territories within borders is essential to a smooth reign. The same conflict was evident with Spain's vast empire as the Spaniards were forced into unequal treatment of territories outside their borders as they needed financial support. Moreover, the distance from the peninsula for many of these territories such as America allowed the people to develop a culture that is in stark contrast to that of Spain thus making it irrational for the Spaniards to be in a rule of a territory whose people are not their own. Moreover, since they were weakened by multiple bankruptcies due to the preceding reigns as well as their ongoing conflict with the French, the last thing Spain needed was to add more cash in a civil war.
I think there’s more to Jose Saramago’s words presented in “Portugal and Spain will be one, says Nobel author,” than just venting any “anti-Portuguese feelings.” I think that as a writer, his imagination allows him to envision an Iberia where the two countries have looked past petty differences and historical baggage to unify. That isn’t something that belongs to the 19th century, in fact, that’s a futuristic, although perhaps a little idealistic, point of view. If we look at current events, then Portugal and Spain are already part of a strong union, the EU. This union is already large and powerful, but it only achieves this status by being composed of several large, different countries acting as one; within the EU, there are a variety of different languages, cultures, prejudices and ideals that make a complete union impossible, but allow for the member states to work together. What ties their membership in the EU to a possible unification of the Iberian Peninsula is that many of the members of EU have a troubled and aggressive history with each other, yet they are slowly working together and unifying. To think that Spain and Portugal, geographic neighbors, countries that share a past and were once united under the same king, are unable to overcome differences and unite seems unreasonable. If anything, it’s more disheartening that someone so cynical and so unaware of current events could achieve a high enough post that we pay attention when he says that the idea of unification is outdated and belongs in the past.
The countries of Spain and Portugal have a long-standing relationship with each other that have lasted for many centuries. From the time when Portugal was just a kingdom, they have always had an independent spirit, thus not wanting to be a part of Spain. Furthermore, lecture has drawn out how Portugal gained independence in 1640 and enjoys this freedom for the most part. So, it is interesting that a nobel laureate, Jose Saramago, thinks otherwise. He believes that one day these two important countries will be eternally united into one nation. History will tell that the Portuguese are strongly against this event from happening. The article states that most people, whether Spanish or Portuguese, are not in support of this - with those from Portugal showing the most resistance of a union between the two. Thus, it is hard to see Spain and Portugal ever becoming one united nation due to their past conflicts. Many disagree with Saramago’s claim and they are just in doing so. The Portuguese have always had an independent spirit, therefore it will take many generations to pass for that spirit to die down, if ever; nonetheless becoming one with Spain.
Spain at the end of the 19th century was perceived as weak due to its inept leadership. In 1807, Napoleon invaded Spain taking advantage of its weakness as an excuse to exploit resources and expand his continental system. It was interesting to me the way guerilla warfare fought against Napoleon and although they were not able to expel him and his rule from Spain, their resistance and the resistance of Spaniards did not allow Napoleon to have complete control over Spain. The article The Napoleonic Wars and Guerilla tactics mentioned how Napoleon was able to control the land, but was not able to control the people. The guerilla military groups is an example of how Napoleon did not achieve total control. But, it can also be seen through the reverse influence that arose after Napoleon’s conquest of Spain. As Napoleon increased his forces, Spaniards increased their attitudes and thinking to not be French; it was a cause and effect reaction. The wish to be anti-French, to me directly reflects the failure of Napoleon to take over Spain and highlights the power that the people can have even if they are not part of a government or the military.
This week I was really intrigued with the article “Master of the Macabre.” The article “Master of the Macabre” talks about Goya’s paintings during the Age of Reason or Enlightenment period and during the Napoleonic invasion in Spain. I find it very fascinating the change of the interpretation and the spirit of Enlightenment ideas in his paintings. The article states that the Enlightenment period inspired artists and writers to revive the “importance of passion and sentimentality,” something that Enlightenment ideas lacked and Goya is a great example of this Romanticism period. Goya illustrated the instability and cruelty of the Spanish and he recorded the disasters and the many casualties during the Napoleonic invasion. Like discussed in lecture, Goya’s painting 3rd of May, 1808 gives a negative interpretation of Enlightenment. Goya depicts that Enlightenment ideas are being used only to invade other countries just like the French did in Spain. However Goya’s “El Sueño de la Razón Produce Monstruos” can be a bit contradictory depending on how a person interprets the painting. Just like the article and the professor suggested during lecture, this painting can be interpreted as being in favor of Enlightenment ideas or against Enlightenment ideas. It can either depict that the production of monsters is due to the lack of reason or it can depict that the dream of reaching reason produces monsters. I find it really interesting that Goya’s use of mythical creatures to portray the reality of Spain’s horrors. I also found it intriguing when Professor Torrecilla said that Goya was the first to characterize the horrific reality of war since before Goya war was seen as something heroic. Even though Goya’s paintings are really scary, he does a really good job portraying the tragedies in Spain during the Napoleonic invasion.
I liked the article about Jose Saramago advocating for the unification of Spain and Portugal. Though this seems like a great idea, making the Iberian Peninsula that much stronger, I highly doubt something like that will ever happen. Portugal has been through too much in fighting to gain their independence and be recognized with their own national identity, that they would never throw that away. It is crazy to imagine that the Iberian Peninsula could have been unified a long time ago if Isabella had married Alfonso V of Portugal instead of Ferdinand II from Aragon. Though there is strength in unification, I think that Portugal has worked through too much and is too proud to ever unite with Spain, unless it were completely necessary.
Two articles in particular grasped my attention. The first one is the article that discusses the union of Spain and Portugal. This is an interesting issue because Portugal fought for its independence various times. Portugal always wanted to be a separate nation. Unless another World War occurs or a national disaster that requires of Spain's aid, i doubt that Portugal would agree to unite. Furthermore, the Article of Goya was very insightful. Goya was a great artist and his art is amazing but very disturbing at points. Saturn eating his child is the most disturbing of all. his depiction of life is excruciating;nonetheless, true. his art work is a progression to what illustration can cause and what remaining the same with no change can also cost.
One of my favorite articles was the article "Latin America: Causes of Independence." I love how the article explains all of the reasons for the independence of states that once belonged to Spain due to its colonization of its people and of its land. It gave many of the essential points for this independence, too. One of the main points brought up in the article was the fact that Spaniards had no respect for the Creoles (Men and women born in the New World but with European ancestry). Another point brought up in the article was that no free trade was allowed. Colonies were only allowed to trade with Spain and at high rates. A weakened Spain and other revolutions also led to the Independence. One last point that I want to mention and stoop out by a lot was the fact that a high amount of racism still existed. Despite the fact that the New World had so many mixes; Europeans, Indians, and Blacks; a high amount of racism still existed. The fact that many citizens had to BUY their whiteness in order to be elite was simply astonishing. It just amazes me to learn how much one location can progress but how much one little thing can also hold them back! As we have been learning in lecture, it is racism and the difficulty of accepting others beliefs, culture, or religion which has led to many loses in Spain!
It should be found obvious that a Iberian union would benefit both parties just as much as any union does: in general, a great deal. Of course, consolidating economically can result in a toppling of the economic balance of power as is currently seen with the troubles of the European Union. But the two countries would be a small enough union to prevent trouble in that since. Ever since the first great empire, that of Rome, has it been made apparent that uniting swaths of land and peoples can strengthen their joint interests. However, I would agree with Portugal's ambassador to Madrid Martins da Cruz inasmuch as Saramago's proposal seems a bit antiquated. The majority in both countries oppose such a union and forcing cohabitation in that environment is a recipe for trouble, as can be seen in Israel/Palestine, though obviously not to that extent. But I do believe he is right that Portuguese culture and language would not lose out in such a union with a country that has long itself been a union of varying cultures and languages, with Catalan, Basque, Galician and even Aragonese surviving to this day. All in all, while an Iberian union would fortify their ability to press their joint concerns, the issue seems far from happening in the future, and might even be relegated to the distant past.
The article that I found the most interesting was the one about Goya especially after I saw the movie “Goya’s Ghosts” for my paper. It is quite interesting that the article notes all the qualities of his art work and how the unusual paintings were perceived to be horrendous and unnatural to those who do not actually understand the context under which they were depicted. Understanding the historical background and the circumstances in which he painted most of his artwork, it is easy to see that his artwork was a representation of the actual nature of the human behavior at the time. The behavior was inhumane thus why he depicts his main characters as not human. It could have been that he painted people as strange creatures in order to draw attention and consciousness to those people participating in those atrocities that they were not acting like human beings rather like animals or even something out of this world. In my opinion, all his paintings have to do with the inhumane human nature in all of us that we seem not to notice because we are too involved in our own pursuits of power.
In the article “Master of the Macabre,” Goya’s most famous paintings are described. His most popular painting, “The Sleep/Dream of Reason produces Monsters” truly illuminates the darkest that occurred during the Enlightenment. During the Napoleonic invasions, Goya used his art to truly express the emotional reaction to the events that were taking place. I think Goya is unique because he did not try to use his paintings and drawings to show beauty like so many other artist. He used his skills to express reality. Although his work was goory and possibly viewed as evil, he was honest. His works were made to be relatable to people that were impacted by the Napoleonic wars and the consequences of them. I agree that even beyond these times, Goya’s work today can relate to many social aspects. Many people in today’s society still feel this sense of darkness and can still relate to the masterpieces that Goya created.
In the "Napoleonic Wars and Guerrilla Tactics," I found it intriguing that Napoleon's invasion was met with such united opposition. I found it very reminiscent of the story of Viriato, who employed guerrilla tactics to fight against the Roman conquest. This parallel makes me think that Spaniards, more-so than people in other countries, don't take lightly to invasions and are united in their purpose to fight against it. I also found it interesting that the guerrilla warfare had more of a "material and psychological effect" than a damaging effect on numbers. In fact, it did take awhile for Napoleon's rule to eventually leave the Iberian Peninsula. Overall, I think that this article demonstrated that the guerrilla warfare was more of a uniting force for the Iberians than an expulsion factor for the Napoleonic army.
I found the article about latin American countries gaining independence interesting. They first talk about how SPanish born people held important positions, but creoloes, who were born in the americas felt frustrated that they could not do the same. Secondly, they were not allowed to trade with anyone but Spain. Thirdly they could look at other revolutions like the American revolution in which the people had the power. Fourthly, Spain weakened after Charles the III and during the French invasion. Lastly, they the natives identified as Americans and not Spaniards.
ReplyDeleteAlso the article about Jose Saramago brings up this controversial idea about Portugal and Spain being inevitably unified. He argues that already many groups speaking different languages are able to coexist. However, just the idea of it angered many portuguese who see Spain as their competitor.
The youtube video brings up the Prado Museum and the Royal palace in Madrid which are examples of neoclassicism. This style came in Spain as a reaction to the Renaissance style which was perceived as anti-Spanish and more associated with modernization.
Carlos Gutierrez
ReplyDeleteLa unión de España con Portugal es algo que yo pienso que les podría beneficiar a los dos países. Los dos países tendrían mas poder y también mas negocios nacionales. Seria bueno para los dos, pero no creo que Portugal quiera unirse con España porque seria como perder su propia cultura y esto no les gustaría a muchos. El articulo de las causas de la independencia en las américas fue muy interesante, yo sabia que a los criollos no se les trataba igual que a los españoles pero nunca pensé que era tanta la diferencia y que también los españoles fueron culpables de sus perdidas porque no dejaban a la gente de las américas hacer negocios con otros países. También el articulo de Napoleón me gusto mucho y me pareció el mas interesante. Yo no sabia que mas franceses murieron en España que en Rusia, estas cosas me parecen muy interesantes porque yo siempre pensaba que la mayoría de los franceses murieron en Rusia
According to lecture, Francisco de Goya set the pattern for art of the 19th C, the century of romanticism and realism. Originally Goya created tapestry cartoons, which included scenes of everyday Spanish life; his art was characterized as an optimistic view of 18th Century Spanish society. However, after becoming deaf, Goya’s artwork experienced a transformation. Goya began to create “black paintings”, which went deep into the darkest part of mind and portrayed horrifying pictures of the irrational bestiality of human behavior. According to the article, “Master of Macabre” Goya’s art reached its peak during the Age of Reason, and his artwork exhibited the notion of the time, that contrary to past belief, humans were shaped by their environment. This new revitalization led artists to revive the importance of exhibiting passion and sentimentality in their artwork. Goya’s art borrowed images from Spanish folklore and superstitions, to create devastating images of the instability and cruelty of Spanish society. Goya’s art transformed from illustrations that depicted the optimistic view of Spanish society to art that captured the realistic view of all the horrors that were brought about by Napoleon’s invasion of the Iberian Peninsula in 1808.
ReplyDeleteFrancisco de Goya was a very interesting painter during the Age of Reason. This painter first started painting tapestry cartoons of everyday Spanish life; however, once he became deaf, his paintings changed radically, becoming the most horrifying pictures ever painted. According to the article, Master of Macabre, Goya painted some very bizarre, monstrous and supernatural paintings called “black paintings” after he became deaf. His art contained enlightenment ideals of reason and conflicting nightmare scenes, showing for the first time that war was horrific and inglorious; there existed no heroes in wars, only killers and victims. Some of his most popular paintings are Los Caprichos, Los Desastres de la Guerra, Los Disparates, El Sueño de la Razon Produce Monstrous, The Third of May, 1808, Saturn Devouring His Son, and Nude Maja. Moreover, his paintings are allegories portraying power, truth, creativity and reason. All of his painting are dark and show the instability and cruelty of Spanish society. All of this instability and cruelty in Spain was due to the French occupation of Spain in 1808. Napoleon invaded all of the Iberian Peninsula and placed his brother, Joseph Bonaparte as ruler, replacing Charles IV. With this invasion, Spanish society deteriorated even more with the Madrid famine in 1811 and guerilla bands fighting off the foreign invaders. This uncertainty, instability and chaos in the Iberian Peninsula were truly depicted in Francisco de Goya’s dark paintings. I am truly left in awe at the horrifying images that Goya painted. They show the inner feelings of an individual living in the era of obscurity. This was Francisco de Goya, the “Father of Modern Art”.
ReplyDeletePortugal and Spain will be one- According to Nobel author Jose Saramago, the country of Portugal will eventually be "swallowed up" by its bigger counterpart- Spain. However, this won't necessarily be detrimental either but there may be benefits for both sides. There is strong opposition to this idea of integration by politicians like Martins da Cruz but a poll showed that 28% of Portuguese supported the idea and also 45% of Spaniards as well. Relating this back to lecture, Portugal gained independence from Spain in 1640 with France and England’s support. Portugal thus became a well-recognized global power due to his colonial possessions (esp. Brazil) and Portuguese is the seventh most spoken language in the world. One significant event in Portuguese history was the Carnation Revolution that overthrew the 48 year old Portuguese dictatorship.
ReplyDeleteLatin America: causes of independence- This article discusses how Spain’s global empire fell apart and why the colonies rebel and declared independence. Some major points that explain this are that the creoles were ignored in the New World, there were no free trade with other countries, other revolutions inspired revolts, Spain was weakening as an empire, and an increasing sense of regional pride in the new world. Bringing this back to the topics this week, we were learning about how Spain was diminishing as a global power due to depopulation, high expenses, etc.
The Napoleonic wars and guerrilla tactic- In 1807 when Napoleon invaded the Iberian Peninsula, he thought the country would be easy to occupy but he didn't expect such resistance from the locals. The use of guerrilla warfare made Napoleon bring in more troops and use brutal force. However, this in turn create more guerrilla units and the outcome was devastating for the French as seen by the numbers of 50,000 Spanish guerrilla killing about 145,000 French soldiers. This event was termed the "Spanish Ulcer" and reminds the French that unconventional wars were not worth the commitment. Goya also incorporated the Napoleonic War into his works as seen through the “Second of May, 18008” and “The Third of May, 1808.”
Master of the Macabre- This article talks about Goya's works, which are routinely appraised for more than a million dollars. He is the most famous Spanish artist after Picasso and is known as the “Father of Modern Art.” Goya grew up in the Age of Reason and his works show passion and emotional intensity through macabre imagery. He set the pattern of art in the 19th century for romanticism and realism. Some of his best known works are the “black paintings.” His work seems to incorporate both unreasonable terror and artistic freedom to highlight his imagination. Goya’s pieces have been very influential throughout the world and they hint at some of the social problems that still exist today.
Majesty of Madrid video- Madrid is the capital of Spain and houses a population over 4 million. “Jamon” or ham is well known in Spain and there are “bull-bars” to watch bullfighting as well. Many supporters of bullfighting believe it to be an art and recognize matadors as heroes. Lastly, the Palacio Real built by Philip V Bourbon) was a grand palace that hosted lavish parties and is now a major tourist attraction site.
The first article, called the “Master of Macabre,” an article by Lucy Li talks about Goya’s work, the famous painter of the early 1800’s, and about his artwork that inspired a lot of polemic due to the kind of art that the did. She talks about how they are inspired by true events that happened, such as the takeover of the Iberian Peninsula by Napoleon Bonaparte and the horrors that followed it. She mentions how it is Goya’s interpretations and a way to tell history that drove him to draw these kinds of pictures. Pictures that depicted the horrific scenes of mutilation and what not are all part of his macabre collection of paintings. He is truly the master of Macabre.
ReplyDelete“The Napoleonic Wars and Guerrilla Tactics” talks about the wars that happened between the people who lived in the Iberian Peninsula and those that were in the French army’s. It talks about how the French came into the peninsula, and started to “attempt” to take over but the Spanish people who lived there, did not want to let them take over, so they assembled groups of people that would combat them wherever they were until they slowly drove them out of the peninsula. Napoleon referred to the Spanish as the “Spanish Ulcer” because of how difficult it was to try and stop the Spanish and also because it was something that they didn’t expect when they went in to fight the Spanish, as they thought they were going to deal with easy opponents.
The “Latin America: Causes of Independence” explains the reasons for the independence of the countries that were once colonized by Spain and that at one point, they were gone. Among those reasons were the fact that the Spanish didn’t respect the creoles, which are people of Spanish and native descend, Spain weakened, revolutions, and of course rebellion. These were all cause of the downfall of the Spanish colonies and how they acquired their independence.
The article of “Portugal and Spain will be one, says Nobel author” talks about how Nobel Laureate Jose Saramago theorizes that Spain and Portugal will end up joining into one full country, or as he says, that Portugal will go under Spain. This comes with a lot of opposition, even from the foreign minister and Madrid ambassador Martins da Cruz. He mentions that what Saramago talks about is simply anti-Portuguese sentiment But not everyone thinks like this and in fact 28% of the people who took the survey on whether they would like to have Portugal join Spain or not, said yes they would like that and that in fact it would benefit the country/entire countries as a whole.
The youtube video called The Magesty of Madrid is very interesting because he talks about the Ham museum where they have Ham from all over the country. Rick Steve also talks about the bull fights and how it is seen in Spain as well as El Palacio Real and the beautiful architecture inside and out and all of the gold that is in it as well as the lion statutes, symbolizing the might of the monarch, along with 2 worlds near the royal chairs depicting the control of the new and old worlds.
One of the concepts that have been emphasized in class this week is Spanish aversion for anything related to French culture. As a consequence of reverse influence Spain rejected progress, reason and science, this eventually led to the fall of the Spanish empire. In Spain the ideals of Enlightenment were seen as “afrancesadas” and therefore there were rejected, as a consequence, Spain went through a period of conservatism and low tolerance. In addition to the tension between supporters of enlightenment and extreme nationalists, the invasion of Napoleon deepened the extent to which Spaniards saw progressivism as a negative movement. Considering that Napoleon used enlightenment justifications (such as the need for progress and modernization) in order to invade Spain many Spaniards associated such ideas with treason against Iberian identity. The dislike against the French and progressive ideas went as far as to the formation of guerrillas by commoners in order to defeat the French. Napoleon calculated that Spanish military was weak and could not resist a French invasion, yet, Napoleon failed to evaluate the extent at which Spaniards hated foreigners. Moreover, the Spanish people formed guerrillas and adopted unconventional war tactics, which eventually led to the expulsion of the French and the return of Spanish monarchs. Also, even after the invasion was over, the strong feeling of aversion to liberal and progressive ideas intensified. Under the kingdom of Ferninand the Seventh, Liberals and Progressivists were expelled from the nation, which caused Spain to lose many crucial intellectuals and to engage in a regressive period.
ReplyDeleteThe French Revolution of the year 1789 not only ended the old Bourbon regime in France but also directly affected Spain due to the Spanish-French alliance under "The Family Pact." A couple years later Louis XVI is executed and there is terror until 1795. Napoleon Bonaparte takes advantage of this situation, leads a moderate-backed militar coup and creates the consulate in 1799. Napoleon goes on to defeat Austria and Britain during the years 1801-1802 and then eventually invades the Iberian Peninsula in July of 1807.
ReplyDeleteInitially, Napoleon believed that his military invasion into Spain would be relatively easy due to perceived Spanish weakness after the Spaniards terrible defeat at the battle of Trafalgar. Napoleon met his resistance mostly from the peasants and common people who fought valiently in the form of guerilla warfare. Napoleon did go on to defeat the conventional Spanish forces quite easily but was forced to bring in thousands of extra troops in response to the guerilla warfare in the Iberian Peninsula.
The brutality that the French imposed on the common people of the Iberian Peninsula is what really ignited the bands of guerrila soldiers. According to the article "The Napoleonic Wars and Guerilla Tactics" more Frenchman died in the Iberian Peninsula fighting guerillas than in Napoleons invasion of Russia in 1812. Napoleon referred to the situation in the Iberian Peninsua as the "Spanish Ulcer."
-- Stephanie Marroquin--
ReplyDeleteReading the causes of Latin American becoming Independent was probably one of the most insightful articles I've come across. The lists the article provides demonstrates the many reasons why such an empire dismantle and hence ultimately lost their influence over an entire continent. Impressive as it was to control north, centra,l and south America under one crown, the Spanish crown was in over its head when decided to keep all of its colonies meanwhile the french invasion was going on and the british were simultaneously inserting themselves into trade with the colonies.
Thus it should not shock audiences when they realize that it was during this specific time frame of the 19th century that many of the colonies became independent. While Spain was occupied dealing with internal problems such as the napoleonic invasion, the colonies saw this as the perfect opportunity to thrive on their own with Britain as their primary source. Britain not only purchased goods but invaded certain parts of South American. Hence their presence became a dominant one in South American when they took over certain territories.
The two articles that I found most appealing were of Napoleon's invasion as well as reasons for latin American revolution. Firstly, with Napoleon it's interesting to see guerrilla tactics in action again as the last time we saw Spain defend itself using it was through Viriato against the Romans. These tactics were a financial relief of sort to the Spaniards since they are not concentrating influx of money and men to one battlefield but rather spread out over areas and through unconventional warfare frustrating their opponents. They are not necessarily killing them, but they are finding ways to frustrate them enough to pour more money and men into their end of the war to the point that they have to retreat.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, Latin America's rebellion is particularly fascinating as multiple instances of it have been observed in the present day. For instance, Spain's inability to control a port territory without conflict that is in Morocco shows that presence of territories within borders is essential to a smooth reign. The same conflict was evident with Spain's vast empire as the Spaniards were forced into unequal treatment of territories outside their borders as they needed financial support. Moreover, the distance from the peninsula for many of these territories such as America allowed the people to develop a culture that is in stark contrast to that of Spain thus making it irrational for the Spaniards to be in a rule of a territory whose people are not their own. Moreover, since they were weakened by multiple bankruptcies due to the preceding reigns as well as their ongoing conflict with the French, the last thing Spain needed was to add more cash in a civil war.
I think there’s more to Jose Saramago’s words presented in “Portugal and Spain will be one, says Nobel author,” than just venting any “anti-Portuguese feelings.” I think that as a writer, his imagination allows him to envision an Iberia where the two countries have looked past petty differences and historical baggage to unify. That isn’t something that belongs to the 19th century, in fact, that’s a futuristic, although perhaps a little idealistic, point of view. If we look at current events, then Portugal and Spain are already part of a strong union, the EU. This union is already large and powerful, but it only achieves this status by being composed of several large, different countries acting as one; within the EU, there are a variety of different languages, cultures, prejudices and ideals that make a complete union impossible, but allow for the member states to work together. What ties their membership in the EU to a possible unification of the Iberian Peninsula is that many of the members of EU have a troubled and aggressive history with each other, yet they are slowly working together and unifying. To think that Spain and Portugal, geographic neighbors, countries that share a past and were once united under the same king, are unable to overcome differences and unite seems unreasonable. If anything, it’s more disheartening that someone so cynical and so unaware of current events could achieve a high enough post that we pay attention when he says that the idea of unification is outdated and belongs in the past.
ReplyDeleteThe countries of Spain and Portugal have a long-standing relationship with each other that have lasted for many centuries. From the time when Portugal was just a kingdom, they have always had an independent spirit, thus not wanting to be a part of Spain. Furthermore, lecture has drawn out how Portugal gained independence in 1640 and enjoys this freedom for the most part. So, it is interesting that a nobel laureate, Jose Saramago, thinks otherwise. He believes that one day these two important countries will be eternally united into one nation. History will tell that the Portuguese are strongly against this event from happening. The article states that most people, whether Spanish or Portuguese, are not in support of this - with those from Portugal showing the most resistance of a union between the two. Thus, it is hard to see Spain and Portugal ever becoming one united nation due to their past conflicts. Many disagree with Saramago’s claim and they are just in doing so. The Portuguese have always had an independent spirit, therefore it will take many generations to pass for that spirit to die down, if ever; nonetheless becoming one with Spain.
ReplyDeleteSpain at the end of the 19th century was perceived as weak due to its inept leadership. In 1807, Napoleon invaded Spain taking advantage of its weakness as an excuse to exploit resources and expand his continental system. It was interesting to me the way guerilla warfare fought against Napoleon and although they were not able to expel him and his rule from Spain, their resistance and the resistance of Spaniards did not allow Napoleon to have complete control over Spain. The article The Napoleonic Wars and Guerilla tactics mentioned how Napoleon was able to control the land, but was not able to control the people. The guerilla military groups is an example of how Napoleon did not achieve total control. But, it can also be seen through the reverse influence that arose after Napoleon’s conquest of Spain. As Napoleon increased his forces, Spaniards increased their attitudes and thinking to not be French; it was a cause and effect reaction. The wish to be anti-French, to me directly reflects the failure of Napoleon to take over Spain and highlights the power that the people can have even if they are not part of a government or the military.
ReplyDeleteThis week I was really intrigued with the article “Master of the Macabre.” The article “Master of the Macabre” talks about Goya’s paintings during the Age of Reason or Enlightenment period and during the Napoleonic invasion in Spain. I find it very fascinating the change of the interpretation and the spirit of Enlightenment ideas in his paintings. The article states that the Enlightenment period inspired artists and writers to revive the “importance of passion and sentimentality,” something that Enlightenment ideas lacked and Goya is a great example of this Romanticism period. Goya illustrated the instability and cruelty of the Spanish and he recorded the disasters and the many casualties during the Napoleonic invasion. Like discussed in lecture, Goya’s painting 3rd of May, 1808 gives a negative interpretation of Enlightenment. Goya depicts that Enlightenment ideas are being used only to invade other countries just like the French did in Spain. However Goya’s “El Sueño de la Razón Produce Monstruos” can be a bit contradictory depending on how a person interprets the painting. Just like the article and the professor suggested during lecture, this painting can be interpreted as being in favor of Enlightenment ideas or against Enlightenment ideas. It can either depict that the production of monsters is due to the lack of reason or it can depict that the dream of reaching reason produces monsters. I find it really interesting that Goya’s use of mythical creatures to portray the reality of Spain’s horrors. I also found it intriguing when Professor Torrecilla said that Goya was the first to characterize the horrific reality of war since before Goya war was seen as something heroic. Even though Goya’s paintings are really scary, he does a really good job portraying the tragedies in Spain during the Napoleonic invasion.
ReplyDeleteI liked the article about Jose Saramago advocating for the unification of Spain and Portugal. Though this seems like a great idea, making the Iberian Peninsula that much stronger, I highly doubt something like that will ever happen. Portugal has been through too much in fighting to gain their independence and be recognized with their own national identity, that they would never throw that away. It is crazy to imagine that the Iberian Peninsula could have been unified a long time ago if Isabella had married Alfonso V of Portugal instead of Ferdinand II from Aragon. Though there is strength in unification, I think that Portugal has worked through too much and is too proud to ever unite with Spain, unless it were completely necessary.
ReplyDeleteFrancesca Zuccola
Two articles in particular grasped my attention. The first one is the article that discusses the union of Spain and Portugal. This is an interesting issue because Portugal fought for its independence various times. Portugal always wanted to be a separate nation. Unless another World War occurs or a national disaster that requires of Spain's aid, i doubt that Portugal would agree to unite. Furthermore, the Article of Goya was very insightful. Goya was a great artist and his art is amazing but very disturbing at points. Saturn eating his child is the most disturbing of all. his depiction of life is excruciating;nonetheless, true. his art work is a progression to what illustration can cause and what remaining the same with no change can also cost.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite articles was the article "Latin America: Causes of Independence." I love how the article explains all of the reasons for the independence of states that once belonged to Spain due to its colonization of its people and of its land. It gave many of the essential points for this independence, too. One of the main points brought up in the article was the fact that Spaniards had no respect for the Creoles (Men and women born in the New World but with European ancestry). Another point brought up in the article was that no free trade was allowed. Colonies were only allowed to trade with Spain and at high rates. A weakened Spain and other revolutions also led to the Independence. One last point that I want to mention and stoop out by a lot was the fact that a high amount of racism still existed. Despite the fact that the New World had so many mixes; Europeans, Indians, and Blacks; a high amount of racism still existed. The fact that many citizens had to BUY their whiteness in order to be elite was simply astonishing. It just amazes me to learn how much one location can progress but how much one little thing can also hold them back! As we have been learning in lecture, it is racism and the difficulty of accepting others beliefs, culture, or religion which has led to many loses in Spain!
ReplyDeleteIt should be found obvious that a Iberian union would benefit both parties just as much as any union does: in general, a great deal. Of course, consolidating economically can result in a toppling of the economic balance of power as is currently seen with the troubles of the European Union. But the two countries would be a small enough union to prevent trouble in that since. Ever since the first great empire, that of Rome, has it been made apparent that uniting swaths of land and peoples can strengthen their joint interests. However, I would agree with Portugal's ambassador to Madrid Martins da Cruz inasmuch as Saramago's proposal seems a bit antiquated. The majority in both countries oppose such a union and forcing cohabitation in that environment is a recipe for trouble, as can be seen in Israel/Palestine, though obviously not to that extent. But I do believe he is right that Portuguese culture and language would not lose out in such a union with a country that has long itself been a union of varying cultures and languages, with Catalan, Basque, Galician and even Aragonese surviving to this day. All in all, while an Iberian union would fortify their ability to press their joint concerns, the issue seems far from happening in the future, and might even be relegated to the distant past.
ReplyDeleteThe article that I found the most interesting was the one about Goya especially after I saw the movie “Goya’s Ghosts” for my paper. It is quite interesting that the article notes all the qualities of his art work and how the unusual paintings were perceived to be horrendous and unnatural to those who do not actually understand the context under which they were depicted. Understanding the historical background and the circumstances in which he painted most of his artwork, it is easy to see that his artwork was a representation of the actual nature of the human behavior at the time. The behavior was inhumane thus why he depicts his main characters as not human. It could have been that he painted people as strange creatures in order to draw attention and consciousness to those people participating in those atrocities that they were not acting like human beings rather like animals or even something out of this world. In my opinion, all his paintings have to do with the inhumane human nature in all of us that we seem not to notice because we are too involved in our own pursuits of power.
ReplyDeleteIn the article “Master of the Macabre,” Goya’s most famous paintings are described. His most popular painting, “The Sleep/Dream of Reason produces Monsters” truly illuminates the darkest that occurred during the Enlightenment. During the Napoleonic invasions, Goya used his art to truly express the emotional reaction to the events that were taking place. I think Goya is unique because he did not try to use his paintings and drawings to show beauty like so many other artist. He used his skills to express reality. Although his work was goory and possibly viewed as evil, he was honest. His works were made to be relatable to people that were impacted by the Napoleonic wars and the consequences of them. I agree that even beyond these times, Goya’s work today can relate to many social aspects. Many people in today’s society still feel this sense of darkness and can still relate to the masterpieces that Goya created.
ReplyDeleteIn the "Napoleonic Wars and Guerrilla Tactics," I found it intriguing that Napoleon's invasion was met with such united opposition. I found it very reminiscent of the story of Viriato, who employed guerrilla tactics to fight against the Roman conquest. This parallel makes me think that Spaniards, more-so than people in other countries, don't take lightly to invasions and are united in their purpose to fight against it. I also found it interesting that the guerrilla warfare had more of a "material and psychological effect" than a damaging effect on numbers. In fact, it did take awhile for Napoleon's rule to eventually leave the Iberian Peninsula. Overall, I think that this article demonstrated that the guerrilla warfare was more of a uniting force for the Iberians than an expulsion factor for the Napoleonic army.
ReplyDelete