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.
The Spanish American War video started off to be interesting about the 18th century because Mahan expressed the importance of improving the Americans naval fleet. It reminded me about the peace between the French and Spain which later resulted in Spain’s defeat and loss of its naval power. On another note, I found it interesting to read the Salvador Dali article because it can be a real nice comparison to Goya and his work. Last week we spent a great amount of time discussing Goya’s importance and relevancy to the class and history of the Iberian Peninsula. The article specifies that Dali is a genius which made me think about Goya and how one of Goya’s pieces hold ambiguity because of the “sueno” part of the title. It can either mean dream or sleep and for that, Goya encourages people to ask question purposely because he’s a genius. Then of course Franco has two historical articles because he does have a great legacy especially being the last dictator of Spain.
Valle de caidos To some people Francisco Franco was considered to be a hero and to others he was a tyrant. He is known for winning the Spanish-Civil war and gaining victories to those that were in favor of his tyrant rule; however, in the process of gaining victories a lot of lives were sacrificed and lost. He was the last dictator of Spain and his reign ended as short as 3 decades ago. The Valley of the Fallen is the final resting place of Franco, yet it is not a monumental space used for history, many people urge that it is used as a place to prayer and not to worship Franco. What makes this dictator unique when compared to others such as Hitler and Mussolini is that people still view Franco as a leader and idealize him. Not only until recently, did the country of Spain finally acknowledge that the Spanish civil war actually happen ,many leaders at the time choose to deny that there was once a dictatorship for political reasons, when the country was making the transition from dictatorship to democracy. Spain agrees that the "silence pact" is no longer and that the atrocities that did happen should be acknowledged, though they are acknowledged the people who committed such acts were never punished and Franco was never persecuted. Some family members that were never able to bury their loved ones properly finally have the chance to exhume the remains that give them a proper burial.
The article about La Sagrada Familia was extremely interesting to me. When I was in Barcelona, this amazing landmark was by far my favorite one because of its grandeur and incredible intricacy. The architectural style is unlike anything I had ever seen before. Before visiting Parc Guell or La Sagrada Familia, I had never heard of Guadi. But after walking through these two unique sites, I was extremely interested in his work. When I was there, I definitely noticed the organic themes and elements of nature that Guadi incorporated in the design. The canopy-like ceiling lets the natural light of the sky filter through, making religion and the earth one entity. Also, the tree-like columns that act as buttresses of the Church are incredible and produce an overall calming and whimsical aura, which Gaudi was going for. This unfinished masterpiece is undoubtedly a perfect example of the Catalonian Modernity movement that swept Catalonia by storm at the end of the 19th century. This expression of art nouveau proved to be one way that Catalonia seemed to be modernizing faster than the "backwards" regions of traditional Spain and a sign of their hankering for independence. Another thing that is very captivating about this Church is that it combines two very different elements in order to encompass the interests of many groups. Guadi himself was a staunch Catholic but he yearned to build La Sagrada Familia as a replica of the natural world. Religion and nature don't always coexist peacefully but somehow Gaudi incorporated elements of each, creating a symbiosis of beliefs, peoples and life itself.
The article that I found the most interesting this week is the one written by Jane Chafin entitled ?Welcome to the Dali Dimension.? Essentially, this article sheds light into a documentary that is about the life of Salvador Dali?Dali Dimension: Decoding the Mind of a Genius (2008). Salvador Dalí (1904-1989) was known as a surrealist artist that had a very distinct reputation: he was a brilliant artist with an innovative mind and was also an outrageous and arrogant person. Born in Spain, Salvador Dalí was widely known for the striking images in his surrealist illustrations. Notorious for exhibiting unusual behavior and for having an obsession with science, he was able to create his own style by merging art and science. Intrigued by Sigmund Freud?s theories of psychoanalysis and the hidden world of the unconscious, Salvador Dalí was able to create paintings, like ?The Great Masturbator,? that depicted those influences. In addition to Sigmund Freud?s theories, Salvador Dalí was incredibly fascinated by the work of physicists Erwin Schrodinger and Werner Heisenberg in nuclear physics and showed a definite interest in math, 4-D representation, holograms, antimatter, and DNA. Relative to lecture content, we took a look at Avant-Garde and Generation of 1927, when the Artistic and Literary Movement was in full-bloom. During this period, we have artists such as Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí (Surrealism), Federico García Lorca (a writer), and Luis Buñuel (a film director). Upon further inspection of Salvador Dalí?s works, the piece that I found most intriguing was the one entitled ?Persistencia de la memoria,? for it is a surrealist depiction of a melting pocket watch. Given that I have seen this piece in many books, it is interesting to mend together what Dalí is trying to express in this picture. Knowing that he was deeply influenced by science, it is only plausible to question whether Dalí was trying to make a correlation with time and space and whether the abstract representation of melting clocks has something to do with the unknown and the unconscious.
I found the article regarding the Sagrada Familia and Gaudí's legacy to be intriguing this week. The article describes how some artists feel that construction should cease as Gaudí is no longer alive and would not necessarily agree with the direction that other artists have taken on finishing the cathedral. Jordi Bonet, the architect who has been in charge for the past thirty years admits however, that Gaudí had forty different sculptors work for him and although he helped inspire them and give them ideas, the work was always truly theirs. The article furthers how Gaudí only finished approximately one quarter of the building, leaving much work to be finished. Gaudí's interest, the article furthers, was in conveying an artistic representation of nature and not in religion. Professor Torrecilla had mentioned in lecture how Gaudí was part of the Catalan Modernism movement that stressed asymmetry, curves, and organic forms. The desire to make the building organic in nature is perfectly visible from the inside with its arches and columns that extend upward. I have been fortunate enough to visit the Sagrada Familia as well as the Mila House and have found Gaudí's architecture to be both exciting and creative. The article concludes by explaining how because of tourism, funding won't be a problem, and the construction of the Sagrada Familia will continue until it's completed.
What I found interesting in this weeks lecture was the theme of Romanticism in the IBerian Peninsula during the 19th century. Romanticism was basically a reacting against the Englightened movement, which meant they were against reason, they believe reason is limited and progress is bad. Then, a reaction against the Romanticism perspective came about called, realism, which was a literary movement against Romanticism, which was based on observation and analyses of contemporary society. All these movements signals to me how Spain in 19th century was unstable and not really unified. They were still trying to establish a unified identity, and it was not working out so well. As mentioned in lecture, in beg of 19 century, it is evident that Spain is loosing power because they suffer an economic hardship, which results in spanish migrating to Americas, mainly argentina and cuba due to the economic problems. This results in the U.S also taking advantage of fact that SPain was weak because the Spanish American war happens. As mentioned in this week video , "The spanish american war video", it gives detailed account of how the American vs SPanish war happens and how another country in addition tried to take advantage of a weak Spain. It states how when U.S declared war on Spain, the Philippines saw this as an opportunity to set free from Spain. In the video it states how rebel, Emilio Aguinaldo saw way for Philippines achieve independence, and that was by joining U.s troops to help defeat Spain, and become independent. Hence, Philippines rebels join U.s, and U.s wins Spain and Spain looses Cuba, Puerto RIco and Philippines. All this shows to me that unification is key to being a strong country, and when a country is not unified, it opens door for others to invade, take over and become more powerful.
In lecture this week, we learned about the Spanish Civil War and the subsequent Franco dictatorship. The Civil War was a clash between the far right – the National Front- and the far left – the Popular Front. The National army (the rebels) was comprised of Monarchists, Carlists, Falangists etc., while the Republican Army (the loyalists) consisted of Republicans and left wings parties. When a leftist government was elected in 1936, the Nationalists were incensed. Ultimately ideological differences between the two parties led to war. After a violent and bloody conflict, the Nationalists eventually win and Francisco Franco Bahamonde is chosen as the new leader of Spain. During the first years of his reign, Franco continued the ‘war’ and attempted to rid Spain of all her enemies: democracy, atheism, and capitalism. Franco executed around 37 K people and imprisoned even more. Relative to this week’s article entitled “The Valley of the Fallen”, I was shocked to learn that, despite Franco’s repressive rule, some Spaniards still honor and respect him. It was illuminating to see how Franco’s legacy lives on and continues to influence the lives of citizens living in Spain today. Those who try to speak out against the dictator, like Judge Baltasar Garzón, are unduly punished; the judge was fired after opening an investigation into the deaths of thousands of people who were executed by Franco’s forces. Furthermore, due to the “pact of silence” among the political classes, there has not been any catharsis for the families of those who were killed or imprisoned during his reign; politicos fear angering Franco’s remaining supporters and thus, refrain from making any public statements on the matter. Even though the Spanish dictator died more than 30 years ago, his legacy endures.
The article that intrigued me the most this week was Raphael Minder’s “Polishing Gaudi’s Unfinished Jewel.” La Sagrada Familia is truly one of the most beautiful temples I have ever seen. I had never heard of it before despite being such a magnificent work of art but I definitely think it is insane how it is not finish yet after being under construction for such a long time. I feel that as the article mentions, architect Antoni Gaudi’s concern with artistic representation of nature than of religion and wish of the interior to be “like a forest” is what has taken the construction of the aesthetic building so long to be finished. Despite Gaudi having left detailed plans to be followed, the temple’s detailed structures and the financial dependence on public subsidies impair progress from accelerating. I found it interesting that Jordi Bornet, the Sagrada Familia architect for about 30 years has decided to leave some parts of the cathedral to another generation so they can contribute as well, and that his dad who was also an architect was Gaudi’s assistant. Therefore, Bornet has personal connection with Gaudi himself which is quite amazing. When Gaudi died in 1926, less than a quarter was complete, but as the man in the video Professor Torrecilla showed us said he hoped to see the Sagrada Familia complete, I do too or maybe even visit it once it is finished.
That that interested me the most was Jane Chafin's "Welcome to Dali dimension" that showed the artistic revolution in the early 20th century through the avante-garde art period that expressed the views of Dali's fascination with science which was highly reagrded with liberalism and modernity yet his art provokes a restraint from these ideals as propaganda. His surrealistic paintings provoked the unrest and silence by the many who experienced during the civil wars. His contrast of sex and violence proliferated his art and in some ways brought out this grotesque, nightmarish feeling that was hidden and brought the Spanish public to transcend to another world yet realize the reality of it. Artist during this period used their art to be a reflection of different perceptions of reality and provoke ones most hidden desires that were often restrained.
The article that interested me most this week was "Welcome to the Dali Dimension", because it revealed a side of Dalí that isn't as well known as his wacky surreal art. In class, we have discussed the new avant-garde generation of 1927 and the different types of art that emerged in this time. Some of the most famous figures from this period were Picasso, Dalí, Lorca, and Buñuel. My favorite, though is Dalí. In this article, the author discussed Dalís fascination with technology and science of the time. His art was greatly influenced by Freud's theories of psychoanalysis and even nuclear physics. He was fascinated by the nuclear age and beauty of science in nature. Dalí once even met Freud and insisted that Freud read his thesis on critical paranoia. Despite Dalí's seemingly random, abstract art, his foundation and interest was based in science. Even after he died, books by Hawking and Schrodinger were found by his bedside table. I thought it was so interesting to see the interconnection between science and psychology and art in Dali's work, especially since I have learned a lot about Freud in psychology classes so I can understand the influence his ideas had on Dalí.
The article that I found most interesting was the one about General Francisco Franco. I noticed that he rose in rank pretty fast, within 10 years he went from being a general to the dictator of an entire country. I was also intrigued by how easily countries like the U.S. recognized such a vicious man as Spain’s legitimate ruler. According to the article, and mentioned several times in lecture, the opposing party (the Republican Party) was associated with communism, and that seen as far worse than Franco’s dictatorship. In addition, the Nationalist party had undoubtedly won the civil war, and Franco, as leader of the Nationalist party, was thereby the new ruler. The article also comments on Franco’s strict dictatorship, where his word was the absolute law. In lecture, his intolerance was also highlighted. Franco’s dictatorship was unmerciful to the opposing party, and many had to flee from the country. Lastly, the article mentions how Franco rejected Hitler’s invitation to join the Axis alliance in WWII. I found this interesting, and I wonder what his reasons were for not joining the alliance.
The article “Polishing Gaudi’s Unfinished Jewel” gives us extra information on the Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia. We learned in lecture that it is unfinished and continues to be worked on. I was very shocked that something has lasted almost a century and has yet to be completed. I was also shocked when Professor Torrecilla stated that it is expected to be finished in 50 years. The article brings up another point on its construction. Some people argue that it is moving too far away from the intention of Gaudi. Others argue that Gaudi didn’t actually have a set vision and left it open-ended. I believe that since it has a lot of aspects already finished, it is okay to continue to build. It is a very famous place with visitors from all over the world. Although people try to follow one theme and one vision, I believe it is great to have a building that has been immersed by Spain’s changing culture and status throughout the years. I hope to one day visit Spain and this temple.
This weeks readings were all very interesting. I really enjoyed Redding a bit about the Valley of the Fallen and Franco’s tomb and about Franco’s life in general. In today’s class we started to discuss Spain’s civil war and Franco. It is interesting to know that this war occurred right as the second World War was beginning, but even though Franco had received support from some of those countries, he refused to join Germany in their battle. I believed that this is one of the reasons why Franco, although he was a dictator, was not overthrown when WWII ended. He stayed in power for almost 30 more years, and the only reason why he stopped heading the country was because of his death. I wasn’t aware that Franco’s body was buried at Valley of the Fallen and that the church is actually off limits to tourists and only the people who are there for religious services are allowed in. It was also interesting to learn that even today Franco’s government still has lots of supporters even though he was a dictator since for the most part dictators are looked down upon by the people. It will be nice to finish the lecture on this period of history of Spain next Monday, and learn more about Franco and why he was, and still is so popular!
A couple of this week’s articles surprised me quite a lot. The first was the article about Dali’s scientific intelligence; while I’m used to hearing about Dali as an artistic genius, I had no idea that he was interested in science. I’ve seen “An Andalusian Dog” before, which the professor played a bit in lecture, and know that it has little plot or sense of chronology. I also look at Dali’s paintings and they are so strange and removed from reality; I would never have guessed that the creator of the film and of those paintings was a man who could be mathematical and logical. Though beautiful and intensely creative, “logical” is not the first word that comes to mind when I look at Dali’s art.
The other article I found interesting was about Franco’s legacy; I had no idea that even after decades, there is still so much silence and divided opinion surrounding Franco’s dictatorship. I was most astonished to read that no one that committed crimes during his regime was prosecuted, and that some people still praise Franco. I knew a little bit about the law of historical memory, but it isn’t until now that I am beginning to understand why it’s so controversial.
I will admit that art is something that I have never done well in. However, I do like reading about the artists themselves, to see just how they were able to accomplish things that are displayed in important museums and auctioned for millions of dollars. One of those artists is Salvador Dali, and in the article "Welcome to the Dali Dimension", it explains how a documentary was made in his honor. More so, the different people who were associated with Dali including scientists and psychologists, who tried to weave into the mind of the artist. Although we briefely touched it in class, Dalis surrealist art was very important to the people of Spain, as it exposed them to art elements not seen before. Along with Luis Bunel and Picasso, these artits presented new art forms that would be monumental not just for Spain but the rest of the world. The article also explains that Dali had a tremendous fascination with science(and sexuaity of course), and it can be seen in his paintings such as The Great Masturbator(1929). Un Chien Andalou also is an example of his extremeist work, with the surrealism being very strange and eerie. The article even mentions how Dali practically forced the great Sigmeund Freud to read his theories about life and organism. Salvador Dali was a great artist,albeit a misterious onea nd his artwork still remains a mystery to this day.
The topic that I found very interesting this week was that of Franco’s dictatorship in regards to the information that was provided today in lecture. It is very interesting to see the perspective presented in the article about the Valley of the Fallen that reflects the mainstream view of his dictatorship as something horrible and unmentionable in the history of Spain. Only the negative light seems to shine on all the events that occurred during that time period. Although violence and death did encompass a large part of the ruling, we must also realize and give credit to Franco for all the positive things he did for the country such as the ultimate transition to modernization in many aspects of life giving it a step into the overall modernization of the world and increasing its once lost competitiveness. The article did mention that that the government implemented a law called historic memory which I feel should be taken seriously not only in terms of learning from the mistakes from the past to prevent them from happening in the future but also to take notice and acknowledge what was done correctly so that we can give proper credit to those that deserve it. As is evident, Franco’s dictatorship brought both good and bad but all in all helped Spain get back on its feet in one way or another.
Catalan Modernism like Antonio Gaudi’s La Sagrada Familia is a Spanish expression of Art Noveou mentioned in class. This modernist vision of an architectural and decorative movement that incorporates asymmetry, curves and organic forms is related to the article of Polishing Gaudi's Unfinished Jewel. Gaudi holds the best known Catalan building of modernism. The concept of architecture in this work of art is one that imitates nature. As mentioned in lecture, Gaudi was creating an intimate space to connect with God through the tall dimensions and large columns that imitate tall trees reaching for the sky. The controversy identified in the article is whether or not Gaudi’s vision is being followed. Some people debate that this work of art that has so long been a work in progress throughout the years that it is drifting from the original vision of the artist Gaudi. Others believe that this is a risk that is taken by anybody taking on a task of such intricacy; it is bound to evolve throughout the years. I believe that a work of art such as a La Sagrada Familia requires complex work and time. Therefore, the architects are hired on to do what they can but can never imitate with precision what the original visionary had planned if he is not present. The most they can do is follow his path and direction that was left during the time that he lived and continue on to complete something that Gaudi would have been proud of. Thus, art forms during the early 20th century, revolutionized an artistic and literary movement, pioneered by names such as Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali. These movements formed part of the Avant-Garde generation. Cubism became a clear example of these intellectual approaches to art. Reality was left to the eyes of the beholder because artists believed that there are different interpretations of reality to be found and these differences were integrated to develop pieces of art such as those from Picasso. Welcome to the Dali Dimension, provides a glimpse of the life in the mind of the surrealist painter Salvador Dali, through the documentary of Joan Ubeda, Dali Dimension:Decoding the Mind of a Genius. Dali aspires to connect art with science and this could be seen in signature that was inspired by a milk drop crown presented an American engineer, Harold Edgerton. Another interest of Dali was the connection with dreams and the world of unconsciousness. His early paintings were very much influenced by Freudian theories. Overall, through these art forms, Spain was able to gain a rich collection of prominent artists in the early 20th century.
I was very interested in the article "Spain and the lingering legacy of Franco" especially because I read it right after watching "La Lengua de las Mariposas" which was set as Franco was coming into power and the Nationalist Party was overtaking the Republicans. What stood out to me the most in this article was when they recounted the atrocities and sheer magnitude of violence committed during and even after Franco's rule, with "50,000 killed... Franco's rule amounts to "the most severe peacetime repression in any country in Europe, barring the Soviet Union." Furthermore, the article talks about how Franco and his political regime enforcers were not actually punished because in order for Spain to get past the Civil War, they had to basically agree to a "pact of silence" that let the political parties move past the Civil War and not use the actions of the past against each other. I think this moral conundrum is very representative of the Spanish Civil War because it shows how the Civil War was essentially Spain cutting off its ear to spite its nose. On the one hand, there was indeed great crimes against humanity committed in the name of politics that left a "valley of the fallen" behind (ie. so many people who died). But on the other hand, the Spanish people had to force themselves to accept (if not forgive) these horrible acts in order to achieve future peace. This is a contradiction: accepting murder in the name of peace...The legacy of the Francoist regime is one that generates much mixed feeling.
The Spanish American War video started off to be interesting about the 18th century because Mahan expressed the importance of improving the Americans naval fleet. It reminded me about the peace between the French and Spain which later resulted in Spain’s defeat and loss of its naval power.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, I found it interesting to read the Salvador Dali article because it can be a real nice comparison to Goya and his work. Last week we spent a great amount of time discussing Goya’s importance and relevancy to the class and history of the Iberian Peninsula. The article specifies that Dali is a genius which made me think about Goya and how one of Goya’s pieces hold ambiguity because of the “sueno” part of the title. It can either mean dream or sleep and for that, Goya encourages people to ask question purposely because he’s a genius.
Then of course Franco has two historical articles because he does have a great legacy especially being the last dictator of Spain.
Valle de caidos
ReplyDeleteTo some people Francisco Franco was considered to be a hero and to others he was a tyrant. He is known for winning the Spanish-Civil war and gaining victories to those that were in favor of his tyrant rule; however, in the process of gaining victories a lot of lives were sacrificed and lost. He was the last dictator of Spain and his reign ended as short as 3 decades ago. The Valley of the Fallen is the final resting place of Franco, yet it is not a monumental space used for history, many people urge that it is used as a place to prayer and not to worship Franco. What makes this dictator unique when compared to others such as Hitler and Mussolini is that people still view Franco as a leader and idealize him. Not only until recently, did the country of Spain finally acknowledge that the Spanish civil war actually happen ,many leaders at the time choose to deny that there was once a dictatorship for political reasons, when the country was making the transition from dictatorship to democracy. Spain agrees that the "silence pact" is no longer and that the atrocities that did happen should be acknowledged, though they are acknowledged the people who committed such acts were never punished and Franco was never persecuted. Some family members that were never able to bury their loved ones properly finally have the chance to exhume the remains that give them a proper burial.
The article about La Sagrada Familia was extremely interesting to me. When I was in Barcelona, this amazing landmark was by far my favorite one because of its grandeur and incredible intricacy. The architectural style is unlike anything I had ever seen before. Before visiting Parc Guell or La Sagrada Familia, I had never heard of Guadi. But after walking through these two unique sites, I was extremely interested in his work. When I was there, I definitely noticed the organic themes and elements of nature that Guadi incorporated in the design. The canopy-like ceiling lets the natural light of the sky filter through, making religion and the earth one entity. Also, the tree-like columns that act as buttresses of the Church are incredible and produce an overall calming and whimsical aura, which Gaudi was going for. This unfinished masterpiece is undoubtedly a perfect example of the Catalonian Modernity movement that swept Catalonia by storm at the end of the 19th century. This expression of art nouveau proved to be one way that Catalonia seemed to be modernizing faster than the "backwards" regions of traditional Spain and a sign of their hankering for independence. Another thing that is very captivating about this Church is that it combines two very different elements in order to encompass the interests of many groups. Guadi himself was a staunch Catholic but he yearned to build La Sagrada Familia as a replica of the natural world. Religion and nature don't always coexist peacefully but somehow Gaudi incorporated elements of each, creating a symbiosis of beliefs, peoples and life itself.
ReplyDeleteSpan 42- Blog Post Week 9
ReplyDeleteThe article that I found the most interesting this week is the one written by Jane Chafin entitled ?Welcome to the Dali Dimension.? Essentially, this article sheds light into a documentary that is about the life of Salvador Dali?Dali Dimension: Decoding the Mind of a Genius (2008). Salvador Dalí (1904-1989) was known as a surrealist artist that had a very distinct reputation: he was a brilliant artist with an innovative mind and was also an outrageous and arrogant person. Born in Spain, Salvador Dalí was widely known for the striking images in his surrealist illustrations. Notorious for exhibiting unusual behavior and for having an obsession with science, he was able to create his own style by merging art and science. Intrigued by Sigmund Freud?s theories of psychoanalysis and the hidden world of the unconscious, Salvador Dalí was able to create paintings, like ?The Great Masturbator,? that depicted those influences. In addition to Sigmund Freud?s theories, Salvador Dalí was incredibly fascinated by the work of physicists Erwin Schrodinger and Werner Heisenberg in nuclear physics and showed a definite interest in math, 4-D representation, holograms, antimatter, and DNA. Relative to lecture content, we took a look at Avant-Garde and Generation of 1927, when the Artistic and Literary Movement was in full-bloom. During this period, we have artists such as Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí (Surrealism), Federico García Lorca (a writer), and Luis Buñuel (a film director). Upon further inspection of Salvador Dalí?s works, the piece that I found most intriguing was the one entitled ?Persistencia de la memoria,? for it is a surrealist depiction of a melting pocket watch. Given that I have seen this piece in many books, it is interesting to mend together what Dalí is trying to express in this picture. Knowing that he was deeply influenced by science, it is only plausible to question whether Dalí was trying to make a correlation with time and space and whether the abstract representation of melting clocks has something to do with the unknown and the unconscious.
José Alberto Rojas
I found the article regarding the Sagrada Familia and Gaudí's legacy to be intriguing this week. The article describes how some artists feel that construction should cease as Gaudí is no longer alive and would not necessarily agree with the direction that other artists have taken on finishing the cathedral. Jordi Bonet, the architect who has been in charge for the past thirty years admits however, that Gaudí had forty different sculptors work for him and although he helped inspire them and give them ideas, the work was always truly theirs. The article furthers how Gaudí only finished approximately one quarter of the building, leaving much work to be finished. Gaudí's interest, the article furthers, was in conveying an artistic representation of nature and not in religion. Professor Torrecilla had mentioned in lecture how Gaudí was part of the Catalan Modernism movement that stressed asymmetry, curves, and organic forms. The desire to make the building organic in nature is perfectly visible from the inside with its arches and columns that extend upward. I have been fortunate enough to visit the Sagrada Familia as well as the Mila House and have found Gaudí's architecture to be both exciting and creative. The article concludes by explaining how because of tourism, funding won't be a problem, and the construction of the Sagrada Familia will continue until it's completed.
ReplyDeleteWhat I found interesting in this weeks lecture was the theme of Romanticism in the IBerian Peninsula during the 19th century. Romanticism was basically a reacting against the Englightened movement, which meant they were against reason, they believe reason is limited and progress is bad. Then, a reaction against the Romanticism perspective came about called, realism, which was a literary movement against Romanticism, which was based on observation and analyses of contemporary society. All these movements signals to me how Spain in 19th century was unstable and not really unified. They were still trying to establish a unified identity, and it was not working out so well. As mentioned in lecture, in beg of 19 century, it is evident that Spain is loosing power because they suffer an economic hardship, which results in spanish migrating to Americas, mainly argentina and cuba due to the economic problems. This results in the U.S also taking advantage of fact that SPain was weak because the Spanish American war happens. As mentioned in this week video , "The spanish american war video", it gives detailed account of how the American vs SPanish war happens and how another country in addition tried to take advantage of a weak Spain. It states how when U.S declared war on Spain, the Philippines saw this as an opportunity to set free from Spain. In the video it states how rebel, Emilio Aguinaldo saw way for Philippines achieve independence, and that was by joining U.s troops to help defeat Spain, and become independent. Hence, Philippines rebels join U.s, and U.s wins Spain and Spain looses Cuba, Puerto RIco and Philippines. All this shows to me that unification is key to being a strong country, and when a country is not unified, it opens door for others to invade, take over and become more powerful.
ReplyDeleteIn lecture this week, we learned about the Spanish Civil War and the subsequent Franco dictatorship. The Civil War was a clash between the far right – the National Front- and the far left – the Popular Front. The National army (the rebels) was comprised of Monarchists, Carlists, Falangists etc., while the Republican Army (the loyalists) consisted of Republicans and left wings parties. When a leftist government was elected in 1936, the Nationalists were incensed. Ultimately ideological differences between the two parties led to war. After a violent and bloody conflict, the Nationalists eventually win and Francisco Franco Bahamonde is chosen as the new leader of Spain. During the first years of his reign, Franco continued the ‘war’ and attempted to rid Spain of all her enemies: democracy, atheism, and capitalism. Franco executed around 37 K people and imprisoned even more. Relative to this week’s article entitled “The Valley of the Fallen”, I was shocked to learn that, despite Franco’s repressive rule, some Spaniards still honor and respect him. It was illuminating to see how Franco’s legacy lives on and continues to influence the lives of citizens living in Spain today. Those who try to speak out against the dictator, like Judge Baltasar Garzón, are unduly punished; the judge was fired after opening an investigation into the deaths of thousands of people who were executed by Franco’s forces. Furthermore, due to the “pact of silence” among the political classes, there has not been any catharsis for the families of those who were killed or imprisoned during his reign; politicos fear angering Franco’s remaining supporters and thus, refrain from making any public statements on the matter. Even though the Spanish dictator died more than 30 years ago, his legacy endures.
ReplyDeleteThe article that intrigued me the most this week was Raphael Minder’s “Polishing Gaudi’s Unfinished Jewel.” La Sagrada Familia is truly one of the most beautiful temples I have ever seen. I had never heard of it before despite being such a magnificent work of art but I definitely think it is insane how it is not finish yet after being under construction for such a long time. I feel that as the article mentions, architect Antoni Gaudi’s concern with artistic representation of nature than of religion and wish of the interior to be “like a forest” is what has taken the construction of the aesthetic building so long to be finished. Despite Gaudi having left detailed plans to be followed, the temple’s detailed structures and the financial dependence on public subsidies impair progress from accelerating. I found it interesting that Jordi Bornet, the Sagrada Familia architect for about 30 years has decided to leave some parts of the cathedral to another generation so they can contribute as well, and that his dad who was also an architect was Gaudi’s assistant. Therefore, Bornet has personal connection with Gaudi himself which is quite amazing. When Gaudi died in 1926, less than a quarter was complete, but as the man in the video Professor Torrecilla showed us said he hoped to see the Sagrada Familia complete, I do too or maybe even visit it once it is finished.
ReplyDeleteThat that interested me the most was Jane Chafin's "Welcome to Dali dimension" that showed the artistic revolution in the early 20th century through the avante-garde art period that expressed the views of Dali's fascination with science which was highly reagrded with liberalism and modernity yet his art provokes a restraint from these ideals as propaganda. His surrealistic paintings provoked the unrest and silence by the many who experienced during the civil wars. His contrast of sex and violence proliferated his art and in some ways brought out this grotesque, nightmarish feeling that was hidden and brought the Spanish public to transcend to another world yet realize the reality of it. Artist during this period used their art to be a reflection of different perceptions of reality and provoke ones most hidden desires that were often restrained.
ReplyDeleteThe article that interested me most this week was "Welcome to the Dali Dimension", because it revealed a side of Dalí that isn't as well known as his wacky surreal art. In class, we have discussed the new avant-garde generation of 1927 and the different types of art that emerged in this time. Some of the most famous figures from this period were Picasso, Dalí, Lorca, and Buñuel. My favorite, though is Dalí. In this article, the author discussed Dalís fascination with technology and science of the time. His art was greatly influenced by Freud's theories of psychoanalysis and even nuclear physics. He was fascinated by the nuclear age and beauty of science in nature. Dalí once even met Freud and insisted that Freud read his thesis on critical paranoia. Despite Dalí's seemingly random, abstract art, his foundation and interest was based in science. Even after he died, books by Hawking and Schrodinger were found by his bedside table. I thought it was so interesting to see the interconnection between science and psychology and art in Dali's work, especially since I have learned a lot about Freud in psychology classes so I can understand the influence his ideas had on Dalí.
ReplyDeleteThe article that I found most interesting was the one about General Francisco Franco. I noticed that he rose in rank pretty fast, within 10 years he went from being a general to the dictator of an entire country. I was also intrigued by how easily countries like the U.S. recognized such a vicious man as Spain’s legitimate ruler. According to the article, and mentioned several times in lecture, the opposing party (the Republican Party) was associated with communism, and that seen as far worse than Franco’s dictatorship. In addition, the Nationalist party had undoubtedly won the civil war, and Franco, as leader of the Nationalist party, was thereby the new ruler. The article also comments on Franco’s strict dictatorship, where his word was the absolute law. In lecture, his intolerance was also highlighted. Franco’s dictatorship was unmerciful to the opposing party, and many had to flee from the country. Lastly, the article mentions how Franco rejected Hitler’s invitation to join the Axis alliance in WWII. I found this interesting, and I wonder what his reasons were for not joining the alliance.
ReplyDeleteThe article “Polishing Gaudi’s Unfinished Jewel” gives us extra information on the Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia. We learned in lecture that it is unfinished and continues to be worked on. I was very shocked that something has lasted almost a century and has yet to be completed. I was also shocked when Professor Torrecilla stated that it is expected to be finished in 50 years. The article brings up another point on its construction. Some people argue that it is moving too far away from the intention of Gaudi. Others argue that Gaudi didn’t actually have a set vision and left it open-ended. I believe that since it has a lot of aspects already finished, it is okay to continue to build. It is a very famous place with visitors from all over the world. Although people try to follow one theme and one vision, I believe it is great to have a building that has been immersed by Spain’s changing culture and status throughout the years. I hope to one day visit Spain and this temple.
ReplyDeleteThis weeks readings were all very interesting. I really enjoyed Redding a bit about the Valley of the Fallen and Franco’s tomb and about Franco’s life in general. In today’s class we started to discuss Spain’s civil war and Franco. It is interesting to know that this war occurred right as the second World War was beginning, but even though Franco had received support from some of those countries, he refused to join Germany in their battle. I believed that this is one of the reasons why Franco, although he was a dictator, was not overthrown when WWII ended. He stayed in power for almost 30 more years, and the only reason why he stopped heading the country was because of his death. I wasn’t aware that Franco’s body was buried at Valley of the Fallen and that the church is actually off limits to tourists and only the people who are there for religious services are allowed in. It was also interesting to learn that even today Franco’s government still has lots of supporters even though he was a dictator since for the most part dictators are looked down upon by the people. It will be nice to finish the lecture on this period of history of Spain next Monday, and learn more about Franco and why he was, and still is so popular!
ReplyDeleteA couple of this week’s articles surprised me quite a lot. The first was the article about Dali’s scientific intelligence; while I’m used to hearing about Dali as an artistic genius, I had no idea that he was interested in science. I’ve seen “An Andalusian Dog” before, which the professor played a bit in lecture, and know that it has little plot or sense of chronology. I also look at Dali’s paintings and they are so strange and removed from reality; I would never have guessed that the creator of the film and of those paintings was a man who could be mathematical and logical. Though beautiful and intensely creative, “logical” is not the first word that comes to mind when I look at Dali’s art.
ReplyDeleteThe other article I found interesting was about Franco’s legacy; I had no idea that even after decades, there is still so much silence and divided opinion surrounding Franco’s dictatorship. I was most astonished to read that no one that committed crimes during his regime was prosecuted, and that some people still praise Franco. I knew a little bit about the law of historical memory, but it isn’t until now that I am beginning to understand why it’s so controversial.
I will admit that art is something that I have never done well in. However, I do like reading about the artists themselves, to see just how they were able to accomplish things that are displayed in important museums and auctioned for millions of dollars. One of those artists is Salvador Dali, and in the article "Welcome to the Dali Dimension", it explains how a documentary was made in his honor. More so, the different people who were associated with Dali including scientists and psychologists, who tried to weave into the mind of the artist. Although we briefely touched it in class, Dalis surrealist art was very important to the people of Spain, as it exposed them to art elements not seen before. Along with Luis Bunel and Picasso, these artits presented new art forms that would be monumental not just for Spain but the rest of the world. The article also explains that Dali had a tremendous fascination with science(and sexuaity of course), and it can be seen in his paintings such as The Great Masturbator(1929). Un Chien Andalou also is an example of his extremeist work, with the surrealism being very strange and eerie. The article even mentions how Dali practically forced the great Sigmeund Freud to read his theories about life and organism. Salvador Dali was a great artist,albeit a misterious onea nd his artwork still remains a mystery to this day.
ReplyDeleteThe topic that I found very interesting this week was that of Franco’s dictatorship in regards to the information that was provided today in lecture. It is very interesting to see the perspective presented in the article about the Valley of the Fallen that reflects the mainstream view of his dictatorship as something horrible and unmentionable in the history of Spain. Only the negative light seems to shine on all the events that occurred during that time period. Although violence and death did encompass a large part of the ruling, we must also realize and give credit to Franco for all the positive things he did for the country such as the ultimate transition to modernization in many aspects of life giving it a step into the overall modernization of the world and increasing its once lost competitiveness. The article did mention that that the government implemented a law called historic memory which I feel should be taken seriously not only in terms of learning from the mistakes from the past to prevent them from happening in the future but also to take notice and acknowledge what was done correctly so that we can give proper credit to those that deserve it. As is evident, Franco’s dictatorship brought both good and bad but all in all helped Spain get back on its feet in one way or another.
ReplyDeleteCatalan Modernism like Antonio Gaudi’s La Sagrada Familia is a Spanish expression of Art Noveou mentioned in class. This modernist vision of an architectural and decorative movement that incorporates asymmetry, curves and organic forms is related to the article of Polishing Gaudi's Unfinished Jewel. Gaudi holds the best known Catalan building of modernism. The concept of architecture in this work of art is one that imitates nature. As mentioned in lecture, Gaudi was creating an intimate space to connect with God through the tall dimensions and large columns that imitate tall trees reaching for the sky. The controversy identified in the article is whether or not Gaudi’s vision is being followed. Some people debate that this work of art that has so long been a work in progress throughout the years that it is drifting from the original vision of the artist Gaudi. Others believe that this is a risk that is taken by anybody taking on a task of such intricacy; it is bound to evolve throughout the years. I believe that a work of art such as a La Sagrada Familia requires complex work and time. Therefore, the architects are hired on to do what they can but can never imitate with precision what the original visionary had planned if he is not present. The most they can do is follow his path and direction that was left during the time that he lived and continue on to complete something that Gaudi would have been proud of. Thus, art forms during the early 20th century, revolutionized an artistic and literary movement, pioneered by names such as Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali. These movements formed part of the Avant-Garde generation. Cubism became a clear example of these intellectual approaches to art. Reality was left to the eyes of the beholder because artists believed that there are different interpretations of reality to be found and these differences were integrated to develop pieces of art such as those from Picasso. Welcome to the Dali Dimension, provides a glimpse of the life in the mind of the surrealist painter Salvador Dali, through the documentary of Joan Ubeda, Dali Dimension:Decoding the Mind of a Genius. Dali aspires to connect art with science and this could be seen in signature that was inspired by a milk drop crown presented an American engineer, Harold Edgerton. Another interest of Dali was the connection with dreams and the world of unconsciousness. His early paintings were very much influenced by Freudian theories. Overall, through these art forms, Spain was able to gain a rich collection of prominent artists in the early 20th century.
ReplyDeleteYvette De la Cruz
I was very interested in the article "Spain and the lingering legacy of Franco" especially because I read it right after watching "La Lengua de las Mariposas" which was set as Franco was coming into power and the Nationalist Party was overtaking the Republicans. What stood out to me the most in this article was when they recounted the atrocities and sheer magnitude of violence committed during and even after Franco's rule, with "50,000 killed... Franco's rule amounts to "the most severe peacetime repression in any country in Europe, barring the Soviet Union." Furthermore, the article talks about how Franco and his political regime enforcers were not actually punished because in order for Spain to get past the Civil War, they had to basically agree to a "pact of silence" that let the political parties move past the Civil War and not use the actions of the past against each other. I think this moral conundrum is very representative of the Spanish Civil War because it shows how the Civil War was essentially Spain cutting off its ear to spite its nose. On the one hand, there was indeed great crimes against humanity committed in the name of politics that left a "valley of the fallen" behind (ie. so many people who died). But on the other hand, the Spanish people had to force themselves to accept (if not forgive) these horrible acts in order to achieve future peace. This is a contradiction: accepting murder in the name of peace...The legacy of the Francoist regime is one that generates much mixed feeling.
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