To mark my birthday we had a family outing to the Royal Academy to see the major exhibition "Spain and the Hispanic World", billed as treasures from New York's Hispanic Society Museum and Library, and described as follows:
Discover the rich story of Spanish and Hispanic art and culture from the ancient world to the early 20th century through over 150 fascinating works: from masterpieces by El Greco, Zurbarán, Velázquez and Goya to sculptures, paintings, silk textiles, ceramics, lustreware, silverwork, precious jewellery, maps, drawings, illuminated manuscripts and stunning decorative lacquerware from Latin America.
The exhibition features the famous World Map of 1526 by Giovanni Vespucci, and culminates with Sorolla’s colourful, large-scale study for his monumental series of 14 paintings, Vision of Spain.
Founded in New York in 1904, the Hispanic Society Museum & Library is home to the most extensive collection of Spanish art outside of Spain. Presented for the first time in the UK, it will offer visitors a chance to trace the great diversity of cultures and religions – from Celtic to Islamic, Jewish and Christian – that have shaped and enriched what we today understand as Spanish culture.
Inevitably, the rooms were kept fairly dim, and this emphasised a certain heavy tone of religiosity that characterises so much pre-modern work from predominantly Catholic cultures. The heavy-breathing, rather camp emphasis on the torments of saints and the terrors of Hell tend to give this Baptist-heritage boy the giggles, I'm afraid. Balancing this, though, is a delight in ornament – especially when Spain meets South and Central American influences – that I find very congenial.
It was a very enjoyable outing, and if you can get to London to see the exhibition before it closes on 10th April I recommend it. It's worth it just to get the chance to stand in front of Goya's full-length portrait of the Duchess of Alba (the one with her pointing down at "solo Goya" inscribed in the sand): wow.
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