Culture & Arts in Spain
Spain has a long cultural and artistic tradition. While arts such as flamenco and bullfighting are associated with the country, Spain has also made its mark in the areas of painting, architecture and cinema. Two of the most famous artists of the 20th century, Picasso and Dali, came from Spain. Barcelona is famous for the architecture of Gaudi. Film directors Pedro Almodovar and Alejandro Amenabar are known throughout the world.
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Flamenco
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Flamenco is comprised of three arts--dancing, singing and guitar. It originated in southern Spain during Moorish rule. Some of the great flamenco guitarists include Spaniards Paco de Lucia and Tomatito. In recent years, the dancer Joaquin Cortes toured the world, bringing the art of flamenco dancing to international audiences.
Art
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Goya and Velazquez are two of Spain's famous painters. Diego Velazquez was a portrait painter whose works now reside in such famous museums as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Prado Museum. Francisco de Goya y Lucientes began as a court portraitist. During Napoleon's invasion, he painted "The Disasters of War." Later in his life, he created the series known as The Black Paintings. One of the best known is "Saturn Devouring His Sons." The Prado Museum in Madrid houses many of Goya's works. The surrealist movement owes much to three of Spain's most famous 20th century artists. Pablo Picasso is considered the most famous artist of the 20th century. Picasso worked in many styles. The French devoted a national museum to his works, The Musee National de Picasso. Salvador Dali was one of the best known surrealists. "The Persistence of Memory" is considered one of surrealism's most famous pieces. In 1929, he teamed up with Luis Bunuel, the film director, and created the surrealist film "Un Chien Andalou." The Dali Theatre-Museum in Figueres was designed by the artist.
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Gaudi
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Antoni Gaudi's works in Barcelona include the cathedral La Sagrada Familia and the Park Guell. The World Heritage Centre named seven of Gaudi's buildings as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Gaudi also created interior design pieces, such as chairs and benches. The Museum of Modern Art in New York houses several chairs created by Gaudi.
Bullfighting
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The art of bullfighting has been documented as far back as the 8th century. Bullfighting consists of a matador and his quadrilla tiring a bull. At this point, the matador and the bull face off alone. The matador moves very close to the bull and uses the muleta, or red cloth, to make the bull charge. The matador must keep the bull's attention on the muleta, at which point the matador stabs the bull. Bullfights are popular in Spain, with estimated audiences of a million spectators per year.
Cinema
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Spain has produced four Academy Award winners for Best Foreign Languge Film. Pictures directed by Pedro Almodovar and Alejandro Amenabar won Oscars in 2000 ( "All About My Mother") and 2005 ("The Sea Inside"), respectively. Almodovar is Spain's best-known contemporary director. Some of his most famous works include "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown" and "All About My Mother," and he won a writing Oscar for "Talk to Her" in 2003.
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- Photo Credit spain map image by Goran Bogicevic from Fotolia.com
