First Men
In these regions, cave art has been present since the first occupations. Its oldest traces date back to 22,000 years before our era. In the Bronze Age, the culture of the castros emerges in the south of Galicia and in the north of Portugal. These high-perched sites yielded ceramic fragments as well as figurative sculptures, notably of warriors. Numerous museums display evidence of the prehistoric era, including the Tito Bustillo rock art center in Asturias. Its modern approach completes the visit of the twelve sets of paintings and engravings of the cave, all in an excellent state of conservation. Another site of rock paintings is Las Batuecas, in Castilla y León. In the heart of a small valley, the naturalistic scenes bring together human and animal figures. For the amateurs, the MEH or Museum of Human Evolution in Burgos is organized around the findings of the Atapuerca Sierra to trace the development of our ancestors, especially cultural.
In Santander, the Museum of Prehistory and Archaeology of Cantabria is considered one of the best collections of Paleolithic pieces. In addition to samples of cave art and bronze sculptures, it also displays mosaics from the Roman era.
Housed in a 12th century episcopal palace, the Departmental Archaeological Museum of Ourense has a section of objects from the Castros and the Galaic-Roman period (sculptures and mosaics) alongside the collection of pre-Romanesque art.
Pre-Romanesque Art
The Visigothic period is marked by a flourishing of religious buildings built according to a Greek cross plan. But due to the Arab invasion, the Christians of Galicia were forced to follow the artistic codes of Muslim Andalusia. From the beginning of the eleventh century, this part of the Iberian Peninsula became impregnated with multiple foreign currents. The pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela was accompanied by the construction of numerous churches. Don't forget to look up to admire the sculpted capitals.
The Romanesque jewels are innumerable in Galicia, the ultimate stage of the pilgrimage. There are majestic cathedrals, such as in Orense, Lugo and Tui, as well as monasteries such as the one in San Salvador, without forgetting the famous portico of glory in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. The modest buildings nestled in the heart of the countryside also have their jewels.
In these Spanish regions, medieval art offers an exceptional testimony to a time of splendor that is very much in the nature of architecture. The art itself is enhanced by the techniques of stone and wood carving. The largest collection of Asturian art is housed in the Museum of Fine Arts of Asturias, in Oviedo. More than 15,000 pieces from the 14th century to the present day offer a complementary look at the Middle Ages. Paintings, sculptures, engravings, but also photographs are gathered in this palace. The collection of an incredible variety gathers Dalí, Goya, El Greco, Tàpies or Barceló. For the passionate, still in Asturias, the Museum of Sacred Art of Tinéu gathers a rare collection of medieval art from the 14th to the 15th century, including wood carvings. The most beautiful Romanesque church in Segovia is undoubtedly San Martín. Linger in front of the porch's column statues, which are of a moving finesse.
Sculpture
During your trip, sculptures will mark out your excursions in urban and rural areas. In Galicia first of all, you will discover the sculptures made by the local boy, Francisco Leiro, in Vigo where his Sireno has become the symbol of the city, in Santiago de Compostela in the Alameda Park (Homenaje a Castelao), in Ferrol (Guerreiro) or in the island of sculptures in Pontevedra on a floating house. Located in the street of Pontevedra, near the river Lérez, the latter hosts an exhibition of Art Land shared by twelve artists. Apart from Leiro, you will see an installation by Ulrich Ruckriem: a pink granite menhir, 5 meters high. In another register, your walk in Oviedo will make you meet a whole series of characters, including Woody Allen, directed by Vicente Martinez-Santarúa, the Regenta, almost turning his back to the cathedral and other characters of everyday life: the fishmonger... you will find them everywhere. In Gijón, you have to climb to the top of the Cimadevilla neighborhood, in the park, to admireEduardo Chillida'sPraise of the Horizon, which has become one of the images that shape the city's silhouette. Finally, in Santander, another statue will attract your attention, also emblematic of the city, the statue of Pedro Velarde, a local boy who participated in the uprising of May 2, during the Spanish war of independence against Napoleon. The inscription reads: "Santander, to the glory of the Hero, 1880." Castilla y León will take you into the religious realm, with polychrome wooden sculptures depicting the last moments of Jesus' life. If you're not there during Holy Week, when these sculptures are taken to the streets, make a detour to Valladolid, to the Museo Nacional de Escultura, where you can admire works by Alonso Berruguete. Or in Medina de Rioseco, at the Museo de la Semana Santa, which houses a fine collection of sculptures from the 16th century to the present day.
Baroque
El Greco's Apostolado, painted between 1585 and 1590, is one of the masterpieces of the Museum of Fine Arts of Asturias. El Greco's mannerism marked the transition to the Renaissance or Spanish School of the 16th century. Shortly after, in 1598, Francisco de Zurbarán was born, the painter of the Golden Age, the mystical artist who became famous in the Sevillian Baroque.
It is impossible to leave the 16th century without mentioning the Cathedral of Santa Maria in Segovia. Its original tower, built of wood, was at the time of its construction the highest in the Spanish peninsula at 88 meters. It now houses the Christ at the Tomb by the Franco-Spanish sculptor Jean de Joigny, as well as the Descent from the Cross by the Flemish painter Ambrosius Benson.
In Hispanic painting from the 15th to the end of the 18thcentury, popular figures are rare. In the seventeenth century, the popular portraits of the Baroque master Velázquez stood out, and did not immediately spread throughout the peninsula. However, after the era of religious painting, picturesque figures from the streets and fields emerged. This was followed by a trend impregnated by the influence of Caravaggio and picaresque literature. In the 18th century, at the Spanish court, pastel drawings and tapestry cartoons show idealized scenes of daily life. During this period, genre painting benefited from two elements: the development of Spanish collections and the arrival of European painters at court. Among them, Lorenzo Tiepolo, son of the Venetian Gian Battista, brought costumbrismo to painting. This term defines the interest given to habits and customs in the arts, a trend that will be deepened by the piercing gaze of Goya.
In Galicia, the Museo de Pontevedra has a rich collection of Spanish paintings from all periods. Galician art, from the Gothic to the 19th century, is represented by sculptures and relics, such as the altarpiece of Santa Maria de Belvis (from the Dominican convent in Santiago de Compostela), paintings by Goya, Baroque sculptures by Gregorio Fernández, engravings and landscapes by Jenaro Pérez Villaamil, or genre scenes by Serafin Avendaño. Spanish masters from the 15th to the 20th century are also on display at the Museo de arte moderno y contemporáneo de Santander y Cantabria: landscapes of the region are displayed alongside the great names in art.
Towards contemporary art
The year 1808 marked the transition from the modern to the contemporary age. In reaction to social and political upheavals, neoclassical sobriety gave way to romantic fervor. This was only the first step towards modernity, which would lead to all the innovative pictorial currents of the decades to come.
The Sculpture Center of Candás, Antón Museum presents the work of the painter and sculptor Antonio Rodriguez Garcia, born in 1911, as well as the sculpture of the 20th century. Part of it can be visited in the garden of the pleasant eighteenth-century house.
In these regions, contemporary art centers abound. Among the dedicated places, the Museo Galego de Arte Contemporánea "Carlos Maside" in Sada exhibits the Galician artists Castelao, Maside, Colmeiro, Lugrís, Seoan or Souto. In Santiago de Compostela, the surprising granite block of the Centro Galego de Arte Contemporánea is open to international art. The Museo Patio Herreriano de Arte Contemporáneo Español in Valladolid connects guest photographers such as Madrid's Chema Madoz with the artists in its permanent collection.
Open air
Urban art is very present in these regions, through sculpture and street art. Vigo in particular attracts artists and street art enthusiasts. The panorama once overshadowed by tall, drab buildings is now a vast, colorful canvas. In 2015, the municipality founded the Vigo-City of Colour festival with the aim of revaluing its heritage. Every summer, Spanish graffiti artists are assigned facades to beautify. Jules Verne and the maritime theme are favored by street artists, but abstract or poetic, historical or committed compositions are offered to the eye. From now on, the inhabitants themselves solicit the intervention of artists. About fifty frescoes have been created throughout the city. Nelson Villalobos' work pays tribute to the victims of the Spanish Civil War.
Okuda San Miguel, famous all over the world, decorates the walls of Santander, his native city. His style can be recognized by his geometric patterns and his vivid palette. In Asturias, Okuda has decorated an unusual skate park in a century-old church in Llanera. Santa Barbara has come back to life thanks to Okuda's participatory financing and luminous paintings.
The city of Oviedo has been hosting the Parees Festival since 2017, beautifying its streets. This is how Spaniards Manolo Mesa, Harsa Pati, Lidia Cao and Manu Garcia have been planning on the fate of crafts in Asturias. Manolo Mesa's trompe l'oeil evokes the old San Claudio earthenware factory, while Lidia Cao salutes the memory of the writer Dolores Medio.
Another key stop is Gijón and its Gijón Street Art project, which records the works painted in public spaces: graffiti, stencils, and frescoes are photographed and then integrated into a digital catalog that can be consulted at www.facebook.com/gijonstreetart. Here, creativity is so encouraged that you have to know how to catch it!
