Contemporary artists of Spain. Spanish artists are as bright as the sun of their homeland

It is more than beautiful pictures, this is a reflection of reality. In the works of great artists you can see how the world and the consciousness of people changed.

Art is also an attempt to create an alternative reality where you can hide from the horrors of your time, or a desire to change the world. The art of the 20th century rightfully occupies a special place in history. The people who lived and worked in those times experienced social upheavals, wars, and unprecedented developments in science; and all this found its mark on their canvases. 20th century artists took part in creating the modern vision of the world.

Some names are still pronounced with aspiration, while others are unfairly forgotten. Someone was so contradictory creative path, that we still cannot give it an unambiguous assessment. This review is dedicated to the 20 greatest artists of the 20th century. Camille Pizarro- French painter. An outstanding representative of impressionism. The artist’s work was influenced by John Constable, Camille Corot, Jean Francois Millet.
Born July 10, 1830 in St. Thomas, died November 13, 1903 in Paris.

Hermitage at Pontoise, 1868

Opera passage in Paris, 1898

Sunset at Varengeville, 1899

Edgar Degas - French artist, one of the greatest impressionists. Degas' work was influenced by Japanese graphics. Born on July 19, 1834 in Paris, he died on September 27, 1917 in Paris.

Absinthe, 1876

Star, 1877

Woman combing her hair, 1885

Paul Cezanne - French artist, one of greatest representatives post-impressionism. In his work he strove to reveal the harmony and balance of nature. His work had a tremendous influence on the worldview of artists of the 20th century.
Born January 19, 1839 in Aix-en-Provence, France, died October 22, 1906 in Aix-en-Provence.

Gamblers, 1893

Modern Olympia, 1873

Still life with skulls, 1900

Claude Monet- an outstanding French painter. One of the founders of impressionism. In his works, Monet sought to convey the richness and richness of the surrounding world. For his late period characterized by decorativeism and
The late period of Monet’s work was characterized by decorativeism, an increasing dissolution of object forms in sophisticated combinations of color spots.
Born November 14, 1840 in Paris, died December 5, 1926 in Jverny.

Welk Cliff at Pourville, 1882

After Lunch, 1873-1876

Etretat, sunset, 1883

Arkhip Kuindzhi - famous Russian artist, master of landscape painting. Lost his parents early. From an early age, a love for painting began to manifest itself. The work of Arkhip Kuindzhi had a huge influence on Nicholas Roerich.
Born on January 15, 1841 in Mariupol, died on July 11, 1910 in St. Petersburg.

"Volga", 1890-1895

"North", 1879

"View of the Kremlin from Zamoskvorechye", 1882

Pierre Auguste Renoir - French artist, graphic artist, sculptor, one of the outstanding representatives of impressionism. He was also known as a master of secular portraiture. Auguste Rodin was the first impressionist to become popular among wealthy Parisians.
Born on February 25, 1841 in Limoges, France, died on December 2, 1919 in Paris.

Pont des Arts in Paris, 1867

Ball at the Moulin de la Galette, 1876

Jeanne Samary, 1877

Paul Gauguin- French artist, sculptor, ceramicist, graphic artist. Along with Paul Cezanne and Vincent van Gogh, he is one of the most prominent representatives of post-impressionism. The artist lived in poverty because his paintings were not in demand.
Born June 7, 1848 in Paris, died May 8, 1903 on the island of Hiva Oa, French Polynesia.

Breton landscape, 1894

Breton village in snow, 1888

Are you jealous? 1892

Saints' Day, 1894

Wassily Kandinsky - Russian and German artist, poet, art theorist. Considered one of the leaders of the avant-garde of the 1st half of the 20th century. Among the founders abstract art.
Born on November 22, 1866 in Moscow, died on December 13, 1944 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France.

Couple riding on horseback, 1918

A colorful life, 1907

Moscow 1, 1916

In grey, 1919

Henri Matisse - one of the greatest French artists and sculptors. One of the founders of the Fauvist movement. In his work, he strived to convey emotions through color. In his work he was influenced by the Islamic culture of the Western Maghreb. Born on December 31, 1869 in the city of Le Cateau, he died on November 3, 1954 in the town of Cimiez.

Square in Saint-Tropez, 1904

Outline of Notre Dame at night, 1902

Woman with a Hat, 1905

Dance, 1909

Italian, 1919

Portrait of Delectorskaya, 1934

Nicholas Roerich- Russian artist, writer, scientist, mystic. During his life he painted more than 7,000 paintings. One of the outstanding cultural figures of the 20th century, founder of the “Peace through Culture” movement.
Born on October 27, 1874 in St. Petersburg, died on December 13, 1947 in the city of Kullu, Himachal Pradesh, India.

Overseas guests, 1901

The Great Spirit of the Himalayas, 1923

Message from Shambhala, 1933

Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin - Russian artist, graphic artist, theorist, writer, teacher. He was one of the ideologists of the reorganization of art education in the USSR.
Born on November 5, 1878 in the city of Khvalynsk, Saratov province, died on February 15, 1939 in Leningrad.

“1918 in Petrograd”, 1920

"Boys at Play", 1911

Bathing the Red Horse, 1912

Portrait of Anna Akhmatova

Kazimir Malevich- Russian artist, founder of Suprematism - a movement in abstract art, teacher, art theorist and philosopher
Born on February 23, 1879 in Kyiv, died on May 15, 1935 in Moscow.

Rest (Society in Top Hat), 1908

"Peasant women with buckets", 1912-1913

Black Suprematist Square, 1915

Suprematist painting, 1916

On the boulevard, 1903

Pablo Picasso- Spanish artist, sculptor, sculptor, ceramic designer. One of the founders of Cubism. The work of Pablo Picasso had a significant influence on the development of painting in the 20th century. According to a survey of Time magazine readers
Born October 25, 1881 in Malaga, Spain, died April 8, 1973 in Mougins, France.

Girl on a ball, 1905

Portrait of Ambroise Vallors, 1910

Three Graces

Portrait of Olga

Dance, 1919

Woman with a flower, 1930

Amadeo Modigliani - Italian artist, sculptor. One of the brightest representatives of expressionism. During his lifetime he had only one exhibition in December 1917 in Paris. Born July 12, 1884 in Livorno, Italy, died January 24, 1920 from tuberculosis. Received world recognition posthumously Received world recognition posthumously.

Cellist, 1909

The couple, 1917

Joan Hebuterne, 1918

Mediterranean landscape, 1918

Diego Rivera- Mexican painter, muralist, politician. He was the husband of Frida Kahlo. I found shelter in their house a short time Leon Trotsky.
Born December 8, 1886 in Guanajuato, died December 21, 1957 in Mexico City.

Notre Dame de Paris in the rain, 1909

Woman at the Well, 1913

Union of Peasants and Workers, 1924

Detroit Industry, 1932

Marc Chagall- Russian and French painter, graphic artist, illustrator, theater artist. One of the greatest representatives of the avant-garde.
Born on June 24, 1887 in the city of Liozno, Mogilev province, died on March 28, 1985 in Saint-Paul-de-Provence.

Anyuta (Portrait of a Sister), 1910

Bride with a Fan, 1911

Me and the Village, 1911

Adam and Eve, 1912

Mark Rothko(present Mark Rothkovich) - American artist, one of the founders of abstract expressionism and the founder of color field painting.
The artist's first works were created in a realistic spirit, however, then by the mid-40s, Mark Rothko turned to surrealism. By 1947, a major turning point occurred in the work of Mark Rothko; he created his own style - abstract expressionism, in which he moved away from objective elements.
Born on September 25, 1903 in the city of Dvinsk (now Daugavpils), died on February 25, 1970 in New York.

Untitled

Number 7 or 11

Orange and yellow

Salvador Dali- painter, graphic artist, sculptor, writer, designer, director. Perhaps the most famous representative of surrealism and one of greatest artists XX century.
Designed by Chupa Chups.
Born May 11, 1904 in Figueres, Spain, died January 23, 1989 in Spain.

Temptation of Saint Anthony, 1946

Last Supper, 1955

Woman with a Head of Roses, 1935

My wife Gala, naked, looking at her body, 1945

Frida Kahlo - Mexican artist and graphic artist, one of the brightest representatives of surrealism.
Frida Kahlo began painting after a car accident, which left her bedridden for a year.
She was married to the famous Mexican communist artist Diego Rivera. Leon Trotsky found refuge in their house for a short time.
Born July 6, 1907 in Coyoacan, Mexico, died July 13, 1954 in Coyoacan.

Embrace of Universal Love, Earth, Me, Diego and Coatl, 1949

Moses (Core of Creation), 1945

Two Fridas, 1939

Andy Warhole(present Andrei Varhola) - American artist, designer, director, producer, publisher, writer, collector. The founder of pop art, is one of the most controversial personalities in the history of culture. Several films have been made based on the artist’s life.
Born on August 6, 1928 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, died in 1963 in New York.

Spain Artists of Spain (Spanish Artists)

Spain (Spanish: España).
Spain Country Spain.
Spain State of Spain.

SPAIN!
In ancient times this country was called Iberia!
The Greeks called Spain Hesperia - the land of the evening star, and the Romans called it Hispania!
But no matter what Spain is called, it is a country that has always aroused and continues to arouse admiration and surprise!

The official name of the state of Spain is the Kingdom of Spain.
The Kingdom of Spain is a state in southwestern Europe. The Kingdom of Spain occupies most of the Iberian Peninsula.
Spain is washed by the Atlantic Ocean in the north and west, and also Mediterranean Sea in the south and east.
Spain It is believed that the name of the country comes from the Phoenician expression “i-spanim”, which means “coast of rabbits”.
Spain Capital of the Kingdom of Spain, Madrid
Spain The largest cities in Spain are: Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Valencia, Seville, Zaragoza, Malaga
Spain The Kingdom of Spain borders:
in the west of the Iberian Peninsula with Portugal;
in the south of the Iberian Peninsula with the British possession of Gibraltar;
in northern Africa from Morocco (enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla);
in the north with France and Andorra.
Spain Today, the Kingdom of Spain is home to more than 45 million people.
Spain The main national holiday in the Kingdom of Spain is Spanish Nation Day, which is celebrated annually on October 12 (the date of the discovery of America by the most famous Spaniard Christopher Columbus was chosen as Spanish Nation Day!).

Spain History of Spain
Spain Ancient history of Spain Primitive society
Spain Primitive society The first traces of the appearance of man in the north of the Iberian Peninsula date back to the end of the Paleolithic. Stylized drawings of animals on cave walls appeared approximately 15 thousand years BC. e. The best preserved paintings are in Altamira and Puente Viesgo near Santander.
Spain Primitive society In the south and east of the territory of modern Spain in the 3rd millennium BC. e. Iberian tribes appeared. Some hypotheses suggest that the Iberian tribes came here from North Africa. From these tribes comes the ancient name of the peninsula - Iberian. In the middle of the 2nd millennium BC. e. The Iberians began to settle in fortified villages in what is now Castile. And five centuries later they were joined by Celtic and Germanic tribes.
Spain Primitive society The Iberians were mainly engaged in agriculture, cattle breeding and hunting, and knew how to make tools from copper and bronze. The Iberians had their own written language. The Celts and Iberians lived side by side, sometimes uniting, but more often fighting each other, and eventually created the Celtiberian culture, becoming famous as warriors. It was here that the double-edged sword was invented, which later became the standard weapon of the Roman army.

Spain History of Spain Ancient Spain
Spain History of ancient Spain The first colonies on the territory of modern Spain belonged to the Phoenicians. Around 1100 BC e. The Phoenicians settled on the southern coast of the Iberian Peninsula, where they founded their colonies of Malaca, Gadir (Cadiz), Cordoba and many others.
Spain History of ancient Spain The ancient Greeks founded colonies on the east coast of modern Spain (modern Costa Brava). After 680 BC. e. the city of Carthage became the main center of Phoenician civilization, and the Carthaginians established a trade monopoly in the Strait of Gibraltar. Iberian cities were founded on the east coast, reminiscent of the Greek city-states.
Spain History of ancient Spain In Andalusia, from the first half to the middle of the 1st millennium BC. e. There was a state of Tartessus. There is still no sufficiently indisputable version regarding the origin of the inhabitants of Tartessus - the Turdetans, obviously close to the Iberians, but standing at a higher stage of development.
Spain History of ancient Spain In the V-IV centuries BC. e. the influence of Carthage is increasing; the Carthage Empire at that time occupied most of Andalusia and the Mediterranean coast. The largest Carthaginian colony on the Iberian Peninsula was New Carthage (modern Cartagena).
Spain History of ancient Spain At the end of the First Punic War, Hamilcar and Hannibal subjugated the south and east of the peninsula to the Carthaginians (237-219 BC). The defeat of the Carthaginians (whose troops were led by Hannibal) in the Second Punic War in 210 BC. e. paved the way for the establishment of Roman rule on the Iberian Peninsula. The Carthaginians finally lost their possessions after the victories of Scipio the Elder (206 BC).
Spain History of ancient Spain The Romans tried to bring the entire territory of the Iberian Peninsula under their citizenship, but they succeeded only after 200 years of bloody wars. The Celtiberians and Lusitanians (under the leadership of Viriatus) resisted especially stubbornly, and the Cantabri only in 19 BC. e. were conquered by Emperor Augustus, who divided Spain instead of the previous two provinces (Hispania citerior and Hispania ulterior) into three - Lusitania, Betica and Tarraconian Spain. From the latter, Emperor Hadrian separated Gallaecia, with Asturias.
Spain The history of ancient Spain and the Roman Empire gave a new powerful impetus to the development of Spain. Roman influence was strongest in Andalusia, southern Portugal and the Catalan coast near Tarragona. The Basques were never completely Romanized, while other pre-Roman peoples of Iberia were assimilated by the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. e.
Spain History of ancient Spain and the Roman Empire During their reign, the Romans built many military roads across Spain and established numerous military settlements (colonies). Spain at that time quickly became Romanized, even becoming one of the centers of Roman culture and one of the most flourishing parts of the Roman Empire, to which Spain gave its best emperors (Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus, Marcus Aurelius, Theodosius) and wonderful writers(both Senecas, Lucan, Pomponius Melu, Martial, Quintilian and many others).
Spain History of ancient Spain and the Roman Empire On the territory of Spain, trade flourished, industry and agriculture stood on high degree development, the population was very large (according to Pliny the Elder, under Vespasian there were 360 ​​cities here).
Spain History of ancient Spain For the first two centuries AD, the source of the country's wealth was gold from Spanish mines. Villas and public buildings were built in Merida and Cordoba, and residents used roads, bridges and aqueducts for many centuries. Several bridges in Segovia and Tarragona have survived to this day.
Spain History of Ancient Spain The three living Spanish languages ​​have their roots in Latin, and Roman law became the basis of the Spanish legal system. Christianity appeared on the peninsula very early, and for some time Christian communities were subjected to severe persecution.
Spain History of ancient Spain In the 5th century AD. e. Barbarians poured into the Iberian Peninsula - the Germanic tribes of the Suevi, Vandals, Visigoths and the Sarmatian tribe of Alans, which accelerated the collapse of the already declining Roman Empire.
Spain History of ancient Spain In 415, the Visigoths appeared in Spain, first as allies of the Romans. Gradually, the Visigoths drove the Vandals and Alans into northern Africa and created a kingdom with its capital in Barcelona and then Toledo. The Suevi settled in the northwest in Galicia, creating the Suevian Kingdom.
Spain History of ancient Spain The Visigothic state suffered from many shortcomings that undermined its existence; From Roman times, enormous social inequality was inherited between the few owners of huge latifundia and the mass of the population, ruined by taxes and oppressed; the Catholic clergy acquired excessive power and, in alliance with the nobility, prevented the strengthening of a firm order of succession to the throne, in order to narrow the limits of royal power as much as possible with the election of each new king; a new class of dissatisfied people arose as a result of the forced conversion of Jews (according to Gibbon, the number of forced converts reached 30,000).
Spain History of ancient Spain Despite all the difficulties, the Visigoths, making up only about 4% of the population, in the 6th century AD. e. They annexed the Suevi to their kingdom, and by the 8th century they ousted the Byzantines (who had settled in the south and southeast of the peninsula in the middle of the 6th century).
Spain History of ancient Spain The three-hundred-year rule of the Visigoths on the territory of the Iberian (Perinean) Peninsula left a significant mark on the culture of the peninsula, but did not lead to the creation of a single nation. The Visigothic system of electing a monarch created favorable conditions for conspiracies and intrigues. Although in 589 the Visigothic king Reccared I converted to Catholicism, this did not eliminate all contradictions; religious strife only intensified. By the 7th century, all non-Christians, especially Jews, were faced with a choice: exile or conversion to Christianity.

Spain History of Spain Byzantine Spain
Spain Byzantine Spain was conquered from the Visigothic kingdom by the Byzantine emperor Justinian I. The springboard for the invasion of Visigothic Spain was the lands of the Vandal kingdom in North Africa, defeated by the Byzantines, including the fortress of Ceuta. The Byzantine army managed to advance 150-200 km deep into the Iberian Peninsula, subjugating the Guadalquivir Valley, Andalusia and the southern coastal strip from the Algarve to Valencia. Byzantine Spain also included the Balearic Islands, in which, due to their more eastern geographical location, the influences of Byzantine culture proper were most strongly felt.
Spain Byzantine Spain The capital of the province was probably Cordoba, then Cartagena and/or Malaga. The vast majority of the population of Byzantine Spain, as well as Spain as a whole, were Romance-speaking Spanish-Romans (Ibero-Romans). Representatives of German Arianism, Western (Roman) and Eastern (Constantinople) Orthodox Christianity (including Orthodoxy) coexisted in the region. Relations between representatives of the three faiths were rather cool, although not as antagonistic as in Visigothic Spain.
Spain Byzantine Spain Until now, the boundaries of the territory occupied by the Byzantines in Spain are not precisely known, although a formal agreement on the existence of a border between Byzantine and Visigothic possessions was drawn up around 555. It provided for free crossing of the border in any direction, which the strengthened Visigothic kings soon took advantage of. Very soon the Visigoths began to carry out predatory raids across the countryside and only isolated fortified cities recognized the authority of the Byzantine emperor or his governor.
Spain Byzantine Spain In 568 - 586, Leovigild captured almost all of Byzantium's inland possessions in Spain. After this, Byzantium controlled only a narrow coastal strip south of the Sierra Nevada mountains. By 624, the Visigoths captured the last Byzantine cities, but already in 711, Spain was covered by a wave of Arab invasion under the banner of Islam.

Spain History of Spain Muslim rule Moors
Spain History of Spain In 711, one of the Visigothic clans called for help from Arabs and Berbers from northern Africa, who were later called the Moors. The Mauritanian corps was led by Tariq ibn Ziyad (the name Gibraltar comes from his name - a corruption of “Jabal Tariq” - “Tariq’s Rock”). The Arabs crossed from Africa to Spain and with a victory near Jerez de la Frontera, on the river called Wadi Bekka by the Arabs, they put an end to the Visigothic state that had existed for almost 300 years. Almost all of Spain was conquered by the Arabs in a short time and formed part of the large Umayyad caliphate.
Spain History of Spain The rapid conquest of the peninsula by the Moors in just a few years is an amazing example of the rapid spread of Islam. Despite the desperate resistance of the Visigoths, ten years later only the mountainous regions of Asturias remained unconquered.
Spain History of Spain Until the middle of the 8th century, the Moorish territories were part of the Umayyad Caliphate; the name of the Moorish state Al-Andalus, the territory of which either increased or decreased, dates back to the same time, depending on the successes of the Reconquista.
Spain History of Spain The Arabs (Moors) at first treated the population of conquered Spain very mercifully and spared their property, language and religion. Their dominance eased the situation of the lower classes and Jews, and the transition to Islam provided slaves and forced laborers with freedom. Many of the free and noble people also accepted the new faith, and soon the majority of Arab subjects belonged to it. At the same time, the Moors were very tolerant of Christians and Jews, granted autonomy to various regions and made a huge contribution to the development of Spanish culture, creating a unique style in architecture and fine arts.

Spain History of Spain Reconquista
Spain History of Spain The Christian Reconquista (translated as “reconquest”) is a continuous centuries-long war against the Moors, started by part of the Visigothic nobility under the leadership of Pelayo. In 718, the advance of the Moorish expeditionary force at Covadonga was stopped.
Spain History of Spain Pelayo's grandson Alfonso I (739-757), son of the first Cantabrian Duke Pedro and Pelayo's daughter, united Cantabria with Asturias. In the mid-8th century, Asturian Christians under the leadership of King Alfonso I, taking advantage of the Berber uprising, occupied neighboring Galicia. In Galicia, the tomb of St. James (Santiago) was said to have been discovered, and Santiago de Compostela becomes a center of pilgrimage.
Spain History of Spain Alfonso II (791-842) launched devastating raids against the Arabs as far as the Tagus River and conquered the Basque country and Galicia as far as the Minho River. At the same time, in the north-west of Spain, the Franks, under Charlemagne, stopped the advance of Muslims into Europe and created the Spanish March (the border area between the possessions of the Franks and Arabs) in the north-east of the peninsula, which broke up in the 9th-11th centuries into the counties of Navarre, Aragon and Barcelona (in 1137 Aragon and Barcelona united to form the Kingdom of Aragon) and ensured, through numerous migrations, the dominance of Christianity in Catalonia. In almost continuous wars with infidels, a brave feudal nobility emerged. To the north of the Duero and Ebro, four groups of Christian dominions gradually formed, with legislative assemblies and rights (fueros) recognized for the estates:
1) in the north-west Asturias, Leon and Galicia, which in the 10th century under Ordoño II and Ramiro II were united into the kingdom of Leon, and in 1057, after a short subordination to Navarre, by the son of Sanho the Great, Fernando, united into the kingdom of Castile;
2) the Basque country, together with the neighboring region, Garcia, was proclaimed the Kingdom of Navarra, which, under Sancho the Great (970-1035), extended its power to all of Christian Spain, in 1076-1134 it was united with Aragon, but then freed again;
3) the country on the left bank of the Ebro, Aragon, an independent kingdom since 1035;
4) the hereditary margraviate of Barcelona, ​​or Catalonia, which arose from the Spanish mark. Despite this fragmentation, the Christian states were not inferior in power to the Arabs.
Spain The history of Spain The Reconquista led to the fact that Spanish peasants and city dwellers who fought alongside the knights received significant benefits. Most of the peasants did not experience serfdom, free peasant communities arose on the liberated lands of Castile, and cities (especially in the 12th-13th centuries) received greater rights.
Spain History of Spain When, after the fall of the Umayyad dynasty (1031), the Arab state fell apart, the County of Leon-Asturias under the rule of Ferdinad I received the status of a kingdom and became the main stronghold of the Reconquista. In the north, at the same time, the Basques founded Navarre, and Aragon merged with Catalonia as a result of a dynastic marriage. In 1085, Christians captured Toledo, and then Talavera, Madrid and other cities fell under Christian rule. The Almoravids, summoned from Africa by the Emir of Seville, gave new strength to Islam with victories at Sallak (1086) and Ucles (1108) and again united Arab Spain; but the religious fervor and military courage of Christians at the same time received a new impetus from the Crusades.
Spain History of Spain The Almoravids (1090-1145) briefly stopped the spread of the Reconquista. The period of their reign includes the exploits of the legendary knight Cid Campeador, who conquered lands in Valencia in 1095 and became a national hero of Spain.
Spain History of Spain In 1147, the African Almoravids, overthrown by the Almohads, turned to Christians for help, who took possession of Almeria and Tortosa on this occasion. The Spanish knightly orders (Calatrava from 1158, San Iago de Compostella from 1175, Alcántara from 1176) fought especially successfully against the Almohads, who subjugated southern Spain, and made amends for the defeat at Alarcos (1195) with a victory at Las Navas de Tolosa (July 16, 1212). This was the most impressive victory over the Almohads, won by the united kings of Leon, Castile, Aragon and Navarre. This was soon followed by the fall of Almogad power.
Spain History of Spain At the Battle of Merida (1230), Extremadura was taken from the Arabs; after the Battle of Jerez de Guadiana (1233), Ferdinand III of Castile led his army to Cordoba in 1236, and twelve years later to Seville. The Portuguese kingdom expanded almost to its present size, and the king of Aragon conquered Valencia, Alicante and the Balearic Islands. Muslims moved in thousands to Africa and to Grenada or Murcia, but these states also had to recognize the supremacy of Castile. The Muslims who remained under Castilian rule more and more accepted the religion and customs of the victors; many rich and noble Arabs, having been baptized, joined the ranks of the Spanish aristocracy. By the end of the 13th century, only the Emirate of Grenada remained on the peninsula, forced to pay tribute.
Spain History of Spain While the external power of Castile greatly increased thanks to the victories of Ferdinand III, unrest raged within the country, which, especially during the reign of the patron of science and art, Alfonso X the Wise (1252-1284) and his immediate successors, served as a source of unrest and increased power nobility. Crown lands were stolen by private individuals; communities, unions and powerful nobles resorted to lynching and were freed from all power.
Spain History of Spain In Aragon, James I (Jaime, 1213-1276) subjugated the Balearics and Valencia and penetrated as far as Murcia. The son of James I, Pedro III (1276-1285), successfully continued the work begun by his father. Pedro III took Sicily from the House of Anjou. Later, James II (1291-1327) conquered Sardinia and in 1319, at the Diet of Tarragona, established the indivisibility of the state.
Spain History of Spain These conquests cost the Aragonese kings many concessions to the estates, of which the Zaragoza “general privilege” of 1283 is especially important. In 1287, Alfonso III added to it the “privilege of union,” which recognized the right of subjects to rebel if their freedom was violated. In both states the clergy was the most powerful class; victories over the infidels increased his rights and wealth, and his influence on the lower classes of the people aroused in them a spirit of persecution and fanaticism. The highest nobility included among its rights the right to refuse obedience to the king. All nobles were free from taxes. Cities and rural communities had their own special rights (fueros), recognized for them by special treaties. In both states, the estates gathered in sejms (Cortes), who deliberated on the well-being and security of the country, on laws and taxes. Trade and industry were protected by provident laws. The royal court patronized the poetry of the troubadours. The internal improvement of the state advanced most of all in Aragon under Pedro IV (1336-1387), who eliminated some of the painful aspects of noble privileges, among other things, the law of war. Thanks to these measures, when the old dynasty died out (1410), the Castilian dynasty came to the throne in the person of Ferdinand I (1414-1416), who retained power over the Baleares, Sardinia and Sicily and for a short time took possession of Navarre.
Spain History of Spain In Castile, on the contrary, the highest nobility and knightly orders dominated. The cities' desire for independence from the feudal aristocracy was unsuccessful due to the tyranny of Pedro the Cruel (1350-1369). Either the French or the British intervened in the discord it caused. TO XIV century The temporary alliances of the Christian kingdoms fell apart, and each began to pursue its own personal interests. Henry II (1369-1379), who took possession of Vizcaya, and John I (1379-1390) weakened the kingdom with fruitless attempts to conquer Portugal, but the two-year war ended with the defeat of the Castilian army in 1385 when Portugal victoriously defended its independence at the Battle of Aljubarrota.
Spain History of Spain Nevertheless, victories over the Arabs took their course: in 1340, Alfonso XI won a brilliant victory at Salado, and four years later, Grenada was cut off from Africa by the conquest of Algeziras.
Spain History of Spain Henry III (1390-1406) restored order and took possession of the Canary Islands. Once again Castile was thrown into disarray by the long and weak reign of Juan II (1406-1454). The unrest that increased under Henry IV ceased with the accession of his sister Isabella to the throne. She defeated King Alfonso of Portugal and subdued her rebellious subjects with weapons.

Spain History of Spain Unification of Spain into the Kingdom of Spain
Spain History of Spain In 1469, a significant event for the future of Spain took place: the marriage between Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile, whom Pope Alexander VI called “Catholic kings.” Ferdinand II of Aragon, after the death of his father, John II of Aragon, inherited the Kingdom of Aragon in 1479; the union of the Castilian and Aragonese crowns marked the beginning of the Kingdom of Spain. However, the political unification of Spain was completed only at the end of the 15th century; Navarre was annexed in 1512.
Spain History of Spain In 1478, Ferdinand and Isabella established an ecclesiastical court - the Inquisition, designed to protect purity catholic faith. The persecution of Jews, Muslims, and later Protestants began. Several thousand suspected heretics were tortured and ended their lives at the stake (auto-da-fé - initially the announcement, and then the execution of the sentence, in particular, public burning at the stake). In 1492, the head of the Inquisition, the Dominican priest Tomaso Torquemada, convinced Ferdinand and Isabella to persecute non-Christian converts throughout the country. Torquemada burned in the fires of the Inquisition the Anusim - (en: Anusim - “forced”), Jews who were forced to convert to another religion, but who, to one degree or another, complied with the precepts of Judaism. Many Jews fled Spain, but the Jews still lived better than other Catholics and held high positions, for example, Don Isaac Abarbanel was the Minister of Finance at the court of the Spanish king.
Spain History of Spain To put an end to wrongdoing on the part of the nobility, the ancient brotherhood of Germandad was restored. The highest positions were placed at the disposal of the king. The highest Catholic clergy was subject to royal jurisdiction. Ferdinand was elected Grand Master of three knightly orders, which turned them into obedient tools of the crown. The Inquisition helped the government keep the nobility and people in obedience. The administration was reorganized, royal income was increased, part of it went to encourage the sciences and arts. In 1492, numerous Jews (160,000 thousand) were expelled from the state.
Spain History of Spain With the conquest of Grenada by Spain (January 2, 1492), the time of the Reconquista ends. And in the same year, Christopher Columbus reached America and founded there spanish colonies. The discovery of America provided Spain with a wide field of activity on the other side of the ocean.

Spain History of Spain Golden Age of Spain
Spain Golden Age of Spain The end of the Reconquista and the beginning of the conquest of America allowed Spain to become the strongest in the world for a short time politically power of Europe. The ambitions of the numerous Spanish nobility (hidalgos) and the inspiration from the success of the centuries-old " holy war“Under the banners of the Catholic faith, they made the Spanish army one of the strongest in the world and demanded new military victories.
Spain Golden Age of Spain Already in the wars for Italy in 1504, Naples was conquered by Spain. Ferdinand and Isabella's heir was their eldest daughter Juana, who married Philip I, son of Emperor Maximilian I of Habsburg. When Philip died young in 1506 and Juana went mad, Ferdinand was appointed guardian of her son Charles by the Castilian estates, who conquered Oran in 1509 and annexed Navarre to Spain in 1512. After the death of Ferdinand (1516), Cardinal Jimenez took over the regency until the arrival of the young king Charles I, who took over in person in 1517. Charles of the House of Habsburg in 1519, under the name of Charles V, also became Holy Roman Emperor.
Spain Golden Age of Spain When Charles was elected German Emperor in 1519 (as Charles V) and therefore left Spain again (1520), there was an indignation among the Comuneros - a protest against the absolutism of Charles and his Dutch advisers in the name of the national institutions of Iberia. But with the victory of the noble militia at Villalar (April 21, 1521) and the execution of Padilla, the uprising was pacified.
Spain Golden Age of Spain After the suppression of the uprising, Charles V issued a complete amnesty. But at the same time, he took advantage of the fear that the Comuneros movement brought to the nobility in order to narrow the old benefits and liberties. The Cortes turned out to be incapable of opposing the government, the nobility began to look at loyalty as their main duty, and the people patiently submitted to the royal power and its plans of conquest. The Cortes unquestioningly began to supply Charles V with money for the war with France, enterprises against the Moors in Africa, and the suppression of the League of Schmalkalden in Germany. For the Habsburgs and for the spread of the Roman Catholic faith, Spanish troops fought on the banks of the Po and Elbe, in Mexico and Peru.
Spain Golden Age of Spain Meanwhile, in Spain itself, hardworking Moriscos were oppressed and expelled, thousands of Spaniards were sent to the stake by the Inquisition, every attempt at freedom was suppressed. Industry, trade and agriculture of the Spanish kingdom were destroyed by an arbitrary tax system. Not only the nobility, but also peasants and townspeople, strived for war and public service. This policy led to the fact that most people looked at other urban and rural activities with contempt. The Church owned large areas of land, which came to it to the detriment of the direct heirs. These lands were deserted or turned into pastures, and the amount of cultivated land decreased more and more. Trade passed into the hands of foreigners, who benefited from both Spain and its colonies. When Charles V resigned his crown in 1556, the Austrian Habsburg dominions and Spain were again separated from each other. Spain retained only the Netherlands, Franche-Comté, Milan, Naples, Sicily and Sardinia in Europe. The goals of Spanish policy remained the same. Spain became the center of Catholic reactionary politics.
Spain Golden Age of Spain At the beginning of the 16th century, the Spanish colonial empire emerged (based on colonial conquests in America). The Spanish Empire reached its height in the 16th century with the expansion of colonies in South and Central America and the capture of Portugal in 1580.

Spain History of Spain The Spanish kingdom became the owner of vast colonies. Revenues from the colonization of the New World were directed by the Spanish crown mainly to achieve political goals, which were the restoration of the dominance of the Catholic Church in Europe and the dominance of the Habsburgs in European politics.
Spain History of Spain In parallel with this, in Spain there is a rapid stratification of the property of the nobility, whose elite is discovering a taste for luxury. However, the influx of gold from overseas did not contribute to the development of the country's economy; numerous Spanish cities remained primarily political, but not trade and craft centers.
Spain History of Spain Trade and craft were concentrated in the hands of the descendants of the Muslim population, the Moriscos.
Spain History of Spain Ultimately, the financing of wars and the needs of the court and the Spanish nobility occurred through a constant increase in the tax burden, confiscation of the property of “unreliable” sections of society, primarily the Moriscos, as well as internal and external loans, often forced (damage to coins, “donatives” ). All this worsened the situation of the population and further suppressed the development of trade and crafts, exacerbating the economic and then political lag of Spain from the Protestant countries of North-Western Europe.

Spain History of Spain Economic decline of Spain
Spain History of Spain From the middle of the 16th century, economic decline began in Spain. Tough, ill-conceived foreign and domestic policies. Continuous wars and exorbitant (and at the same time regressive) taxes inevitably led Spain to a serious economic decline.
Spain History of Spain The son of Charles V, Philip II, decides to move the capital of the kingdom from Toledo to Madrid, which required a large expenditure of resources and meant new era V political history Spain. Spanish absolutism began to suppress the relatively broad rights of estates, provinces and religious minorities that had remained since the Reconquista. The Catholic Church and the Inquisition turned out to be closely connected with the state apparatus and acted as its repressive instruments. In 1568, there was a Moorish uprising, which was suppressed two years later after a bloody war. 400 thousand Moriscos were evicted from Grenada to other parts of the country.
Spain History of Spain The progressive decomposition of the state apparatus, which served as an instrument for enriching the nobility, led to a decline in the quality of internal and external governance and a weakening of the Spanish army. Despite defeating the Turks at Lepanto in 1571, Spain lost control of Tunisia. The Duke of Alba's policy of terror and violence in the Netherlands led to an uprising of the local population, which the Spanish crown, despite enormous expenses, was unable to suppress. The attempt to return England to the fold of the Catholic Church ended with the death of the “invincible armada” in 1588. Spanish intervention in religious strife in France only led to a deterioration in relations between the two countries and the strengthening of the French monarchy.

Spain History of Spain Economic decline of Spain
Spain History of Spain After the death of the Spanish King Philip II, government for a long time ended up in the hands of various factions of the nobility. Under King Philip III (1598-1621), the country was ruled by the Duke of Lerma, as a result of whose policies the once richest state in Europe became bankrupt in 1607. The reason for this was the colossal costs of maintaining the army, part of which was appropriated by senior officials, led by Lerma himself. The Kingdom was forced to conclude peace agreements with the Netherlands, France and England. In 1609, the eviction of the Moriscos from Spain began, but the proceeds from the confiscation of their property did not compensate for the subsequent decline in trade and the desolation of many cities led by Valencia.
Spain History of Spain Under Philip IV, the foreign and domestic policy of the state was led by the greedy and intolerant Duke of Olivares. Spain intervenes in another conflict between Austria and the Protestants of Central Europe, which resulted in Thirty Years' War. The entry of Catholic France into the war deprived the conflict of religious grounds and led to catastrophic consequences for Spain. Massive discontent with high taxes and the arbitrariness of the central authorities caused uprisings in a number of Spanish provinces; in 1640, Catalonia broke away from the crown, followed by the separation of Portugal. At the cost of abandoning centralization and the loss of Portugal, the government managed to keep Spain from disintegrating, but it ended its previous foreign policy ambitions. In 1648, Spain recognized the independence of the Netherlands and the equality of Protestants in Germany. According to the Peace of the Pyrenees (1659), Spain ceded Rousillon, Perpignan and part of the Netherlands to France, and Dunkirchen and Jamaica to England.
Spain History of Spain During the reign of the seriously ill King Charles II (1665-1700), Spain turned from a subject of European politics into an object of territorial claims of France and lost a number of possessions in Central Europe. Spain was saved from the annexation of Catalonia by France only by an alliance with its recent enemies - England and the Netherlands. The Spanish economy and its state apparatus fell into complete decline. By the end of the reign of King Charles II, many cities and territories were depopulated. Due to a lack of money, many provinces returned to barter trade. Despite extremely high taxes, the once luxurious Madrid court found itself unable to pay for its own maintenance, often even for royal meals.

Spain History of Spain Bourbon Era
Spain History of Spain With the death of Charles II in November 1700 without heirs, the question of who should be the new king led to the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714) between France and Austria with its allies, chief among them England. France elevated Philip V of Bourbon (grandson of Louis XIV) to the Spanish throne, who remained king at the cost of ceding his possessions in the Netherlands and Italy to Austria. For many decades, the political life of Spain began to be determined by the interests of its northern neighbor.
Spain History of Spain The accession of the Bourbons to the royal throne of Spain meant the arrival of immigrants from France and Italy, led by Alberoni, to government positions, which contributed to some improvement of the state apparatus. Following the model of French absolutism, taxation was centralized and provincial privileges were abolished. Attempts to limit the rights of the Catholic Church, the only structure that enjoyed broad public confidence, failed. In foreign policy Bourbon Spain followed in the footsteps of France and took part with it in the Polish and Austrian wars, which were costly to the treasury. As a result, Spain received Naples and Parma, which immediately went to the younger lines of the Spanish Bourbons.
Spain History of Spain In the mid-18th century, during the reign of Ferdinand VI, a number of important reforms were carried out in the country. Taxes were lowered, the state apparatus was updated, and by the concordat of 1753 the rights of the Catholic clergy, primarily financial, were significantly limited. Further reforms by Carlos III (1759-88) in the spirit of the Enlightenment and his ministers Aranda, Floridablanca and Campomanes led to positive results. In Catalonia and some port cities The development of manufacturing began, and transatlantic trade with the colonies flourished. However, the development of industry and transport in the country, due to the complete economic decline of the previous time, was possible only by the state and required large loans. At the same time, the crown's finances were depleted by the need to support and protect the colonies and participation in the wars waged by France.
Spain History of Spain With the accession of Charles IV, weak and incapable of state affairs, the state of affairs in Spain worsened again, and actual power passed into the hands of Queen Godoy's favorite. The revolution in France forced Spain to come out in defense of the overthrown Bourbons. However, the war with revolutionary France was fought by Spain inactively and led to the French invasion of the north of the country. Economic and political weakness led Spain to sign the extremely unfavorable Treaty of San Ildefonso (1796), which required Spain to take part in the war against England. Despite the apparent inferiority of the Spanish army and navy and the series of subsequent defeats, Spain remained in an alliance with Napoleonic France until the remnants of the Spanish fleet were destroyed at Trafalgar (October 20, 1805). Skillfully using Godoy's ambition, Napoleon, promising him the Portuguese crown, achieved the conclusion of another military alliance between France and Spain.
Spain History of Spain This decision, which plunged an exhausted and on the verge of famine Spain into a new war of foreign interests, sparked a popular uprising against Godoy, which led to the abdication of King Charles IV on March 18, 1808 in favor of his son Hernando. However new king Hernando VII was summoned by Napoleon to negotiations with his father, which, under French military and political pressure, ended with the transfer of the crown to Joseph Bonaparte.
Spain History of Spain On May 2, 1808, upon the news of Hernando’s removal to France, a rebellion broke out in Madrid, which the French managed to suppress only after a bloody struggle. Provincial juntas were formed, the Guerillas armed themselves in the mountains, and all accomplices of the French were declared enemies of the fatherland. The brave defense of Zaragoza, the removal of Joseph from Madrid, and the general retreat of the French contributed to the enthusiasm of the Spaniards. At the same time, Wellington with an English corps landed in Portugal and began to oust the French from there. The French nevertheless prevailed over the Spaniards and on December 4 again entered Madrid.
Spain History of Spain A massive massacre began in Spain guerrilla warfare, led by the central junta established in September 1808 in Aranjuez. At first, all levels of Spanish society, nobles, clergy and peasants, strove with equal zeal to drive out the invaders, who controlled only large cities and responded to Spanish resistance with brutal terror. By early 1810, the odds had tilted toward the French as the Spanish elite became more loyal to Joseph. Defenders of the country's independence in Cadiz established a regency, convened the Cortes and adopted a constitution (March 18, 1812), based on the old Spanish traditions of communal self-government and the principles of democracy. At the same time, organized resistance to the French was provided only by the English troops of Wellington, who defeated the French at Salamanca on July 22, 1812, but could not hold them in Madrid.
Spain History of Spain The crushing defeat of Napoleonic army in Russia changed the situation in Spain. On May 27, 1813, King Joseph with French troops left Madrid, but was defeated by Wellington at Vittoria on June 21. The French were expelled from Spain, but the question of further political structure the country remained open.

Spain History of Spain Bourbon Restoration
Spain History of Spain King Hernando VII was released by Napoleon to his homeland, but the Cortes demanded that he swear allegiance to the constitution, which he refused to do. The intervention of the army, the transition to the side of the king, General Elio, resolved the issue in favor of an absolute monarchy. After the dispersal of the Cortes and the entry into Madrid, King Hernando VII promised an amnesty and the adoption of a new constitution, but began his reign with repression both against those who supported Joseph Bonaparte and against the most liberal supporters of the Cortes. The army and the clergy became the backbone of the monarchical power of King Hernando VII.
Spain History of Spain Court intrigues and the weak policies of King Hernando VII did not contribute to the restoration of order in either internal or external affairs. During the French occupation of Spain, a war of independence began in its overseas colonies, during which local elites broke away from the weakened metropolis. In Spain itself, discontent was accumulating among the people. As a result, troops under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Riego (January 1, 1820) proclaimed the Constitution of 1812 and created a provisional government in Isla de Leon, which issued an appeal to the people. After a number of provinces and Madrid went over to the side of the rebels, King Hernando VII swore allegiance to the constitution and convened the Cortes. Their activities were directed mainly against the property privileges of the church - the clergy were taxed, but this did not improve the situation in the country. Due to the absence of the bourgeoisie, the liberal initiatives of the Cortes were perceived negatively in society, especially among the peasantry. The Catholic opposition gained strength in the provinces and the country again began to slide into anarchy.
Spain History of Spain According to the results of the elections held on March 1, 1822, the radicals received a majority of votes, after which the forces loyal to the king undertook unsuccessful attempt occupy Madrid. King Hernando VII was forced to seek foreign help and in the fall of that year the Holy Alliance decided to intervene armed in the affairs of Spain. In April 1824, a French expedition under the command of the Duke of Angoulême (95 thousand soldiers) crossed the border and defeated the Spanish troops. Already on April 11, the Cortes, having captured the king, fled from Madrid, where on May 24 the Duke of Angoulême entered, enthusiastically received by the people and clergy. Surrounded in Cadiz, the Cortes returned absolute power to the king, but liberal resistance continued for another two months. To protect the Bourbons, 45 thousand French soldiers remained in Spain.
Spain History of Spain In 1827, King Hernando VII decisively suppressed a rebellion in Catalonia by supporters of his brother Carlos, and three years later issued the so-called pragmatic sanction, which repealed the Salic law introduced by the Bourbons in 1713, and introduced succession to the throne through the female line. In October 1832, Queen Christina was declared regent for her daughter Isabella in the event of the death of the king. Former minister Zea-Bermudez took charge of the administration, declared an amnesty and convened the Cortes, who on June 20, 1833 swore allegiance to Isabella as heir to the throne.
Spain History of Spain Don Carlos, on April 29, 1833, in Portugal, proclaimed himself King Charles V of Spain. He was immediately joined by the apostolic party, the Basque provinces and Navarre, whose ancient benefits of fueros, including the right to duty-free import of goods, were not recognized by the liberals. The Carlist uprising began in October 1833 with the appointment of a junta and general armament. Soon the Carlists occupied Catalonia. The Madrid government of the “Christinos” (named after the regent) could not suppress the rebellion because it was experiencing deep divisions. In 1834, a new constitution was adopted, which displeased radical liberals, who rebelled in 1836 and forced Christina to return to the 1812 constitution.
Spain History of Spain However, soon the new president of the Council of Ministers, Calatrava, convened the Cortes, which subjected the old constitution to revision. At this time, Don Carlos won a number of victories, but disagreements among his supporters led to his retreat to France. Not wanting to continue the war, the Cortes confirmed the fueros of the Basque provinces. By the end of the summer of 1840, all of Spain was under the control of the Madrid government. General Espartero gained popularity and forced Queen Christina to abandon the regency and leave the country. On May 8, 1841, Espartero was elected regent, but two years later he was forced to flee to England after a general mutiny of the army.
Spain History of Spain The conservative majority of the Spanish Cortes on November 8, 1843 declared the 13-year-old Queen Isabella of age. Changes soon followed in the political life of the country - rival generals and favorites of the young queen replaced each other at the helm of the state, her mother Christina was returned from exile, a high property qualification was introduced for elections to the Cortes, senators were appointed for life by the crown, and the Catholic religion was declared the state religion.
Spain History of Spain The army played an ever-increasing role in governing the country. In 1854, after another rebellion, General Espartero was again appointed first minister, but did not hold this post for long. His successor O'Donnell suppressed several military uprisings, repulsed an attempt by the Carlist pretender Count Montemolina to land in Spain (1860), but also could not stay in power. General Narvaez, who replaced him, at the head of the government, relied on the clergy and persecuted the liberals. Soon after His death in 1868, a general rebellion began in the country and Isabella fled to France.
Spain History of Spain At the head of the provisional government of unionists and progressives was Serrano, who first of all abolished the Jesuit order and declared freedom of the press and education. Since those convened Spanish Cortes They did not agree on the candidacy of the new monarch, Serrano became regent. The authority of Madrid in the northern provinces of Spain was low - the Carlists and Republicans became more active there.
Spain History of Spain After long negotiations, the son of the Italian king Amadeus agreed to accept the Spanish crown, but after two years of ongoing anarchy and open struggle of political parties supported by various army officers, he returned to his homeland in Italy. The Cortes proclaimed a republic and elected as president Figveras, a federalist republican who sought to expand the rights of Spanish provinces and cities in order to ensure their loyalty to Madrid. Soon Figveras was removed, the north of the country, where the Carlists seized power, and Andalusia, where a group of radical federalists formed their own government, fell away from Madrid. Castelar's troops regained control of Andalusia, but he was soon deposed, and Serrano, who was also deposed a year later, returned to rule the country. This is where the history of the first Spanish republic ended.
Spain History of Spain Since the Carlists were not popular, Isabella's eldest son Alfonso was invited to take the vacant throne.

Spain History of Spain The election of Alfonso XII seemed to many, especially officers, the only salvation from chaos. Agreeing with the most influential persons, General Martinez Campos proclaimed Alfonso XII King of Spain on December 29, 1874 in Segunto.
Spain History of Spain The reign of the new monarch, King Alfonso XII, was successful - the Carlists were defeated, the Basque lands were deprived of fueros, and centralized control of the country was restored. The financial system began to be put in order, and rebellions in Cuba and the northern provinces of Spain were suppressed. Politically, Spain during these years became closer to Germany and Austria-Hungary, as opposed to France, whose interference in Spanish affairs ceased. During these years, industry and trade began to develop in Spain, and the appearance of the country's largest cities changed. Liberal reforms were carried out: universal suffrage and trial by jury were introduced.
Spain History of Spain In 1886, after the death of the young king Alfonso XII, his newborn son Alfonso XIII became the new monarch, under whom his mother, who continued her husband’s policies, became regent. At the turn of the century, tourism began to develop in Spain. Unrest in the north of the country continued repeatedly, Catalonia and the Basque country were ahead of the agricultural provinces of central and southern Spain in economic development, and a layer of intelligentsia was formed in large cities, advocating autonomy and democratic changes. WITH late XIX century, in connection with the growth of autonomist movements in the Spanish provinces, a large-scale debate begins about the “essence of Spain” (about the “two Spains”), which continues, with some interruptions, to the present day.
Spain History of Spain The defeat in the Spanish-American War and the loss of the last overseas colonies led to an increase in protest sentiments in Spanish society. During the First World War, Spain maintained neutrality, but its economy suffered seriously.

Spain History of Spain The collapse of European monarchies and the spread of socialist ideas among the poor urban intelligentsia led to a series of riots. The rebels demanded social and political changes - the abolition of noble privileges, secularization, and the establishment of republican rule. In the face of growing instability, General Miguel Primo de Rivera rebelled and seized power in Catalonia, soon the king granted him exceptional powers. It was announced the creation of a “military directory”, the introduction of martial law, the abolition of the constitution, and the dissolution of the Cortes. During Primo de Rivera's reign, Spain achieved victory in Morocco and some internal stability through repression of anarchists. Government guarantees ensured an influx of investment into the country and increased well-being of the population. However, the general uncertainty of foreign and domestic policy and the growing radicalization of society led to the resignation of Primo de Rivera. The struggle for power began with radical republicans and falangists, led by his son Jose Antonio.

Spain History of Spain On April 14, 1931, as a result of mass protests, the Spanish monarchy was overthrown and Spain again became a republic. This did not bring stability to Spanish society, since to the traditional contradictions between the conservative-monarchist and republican wings were added differences between the republicans themselves, in whose ranks there were various forces from supporters of liberal capitalism to anarchists. The ongoing terror, the inability of the authorities to solve economic problems, and the threatening international situation led to an increase in the popularity of the Spanish Phalanx in army circles, its rebellion in 1936 and a bloody civil war, which ended in 1939 with the capture of Madrid by the rebels and the establishment of the lifelong dictatorship of Francisco Franco.
Spain History of Spain The years of Franco's reign are a period of conservative modernization in Spain. The country did not participate in World War II and enjoyed the support of many Western powers in the post-war period. In the 1950s and 60s, the Spanish “economic miracle” occurred, associated with an influx of investment into the previously backward agricultural country, urbanization and the development of industry and tourism. At the same time, political rights and freedoms were limited in the country for a long time, and repression was carried out against separatists and adherents of leftist views. Franco bequeathed to restore the monarchy after his death and transfer the throne to Juan Carlos, the grandson of the deposed Alfonso XIII. The dictator's will was fulfilled.

Spain History of Spain History of modern Spain
Spain History of Spain In 1947, Spain, on the initiative of Francisco Franco, was again declared a kingdom (however, the throne remained unoccupied during the regency of “caudillo” Franco himself).
Spain History of Spain In November 1975, after the death of Franco, according to his will, Juan Carlos I was proclaimed King of Spain, the dismantling of the previous regime and new democratic reforms began. In December 1978, a new constitution was adopted and came into force in Spain.
Spain History of Spain In 1985, Spain joined the European Union (EU). Today the Kingdom of Spain is a highly developed, prosperous country with developed industry and agriculture. The Kingdom of Spain is an interesting country with friendly people and its colorful national traditions. Spain is loved and willingly visited by numerous tourists!

Spain Culture of Spain
Spain Painting and sculpture of Spain
Spain Artists of Spain (Spanish artists)Spain Culture of Spain Spain is rightfully considered an open-air museum. The vast expanses of this country carefully preserve cultural and historical monuments that have worldwide fame.
Spain Culture of Spain Most famous museum Spain - Prado Museum - located in Madrid. Its extensive exhibition cannot be seen in one day. The museum was founded by Isabella of Braganza, wife of King Ferdinand VII. The Prado has its own branch located in Cason del Buen Retiro and stores unique collections of Spanish painting and sculptures XIX century, as well as works of English and French painters. The museum itself features large exhibitions of Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Flemish and German art.

Spain Culture of Spain The Prado Museum owes its name “Prado” to the Prado de San Jerónimo alley, where it is located, laid out during the Enlightenment. Currently, the Prado Museum's holdings include 6,000 paintings, more than 400 sculptures, as well as numerous jewelry, including royal and religious collections. During the several centuries of its existence, the Prado Museum was patronized by many kings.
Spain Culture of Spain It is believed that the very first collection of the Prado Museum was formed under King Carlos I, known as Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. His heir, King Philip II, became famous not only for his bad character and despotism, but also for his love of art. It is to him that the museum owes the priceless acquisitions of paintings by the brush. Flemish masters. Philip was distinguished by his gloomy worldview; it is not surprising that the ruler was a fan of Bosch, an artist known for his bizarre, pessimistic fantasy. Philip initially purchased Bosch's paintings for Escorial, the ancestral castle of the Spanish kings. It was only in the 19th century that the paintings were transferred to the Prado Museum. Now here you can see such masterpieces of the Dutch master as “The Garden of Delights” and “The Hay Wain”. Currently, in the Prado Museum you can enjoy not only paintings and sculptures, but also theatrical performances designed to “revive” famous paintings. The first such staging at the Prado Museum was dedicated to the paintings of the famous Spanish artist Velazquez and enjoyed huge success from the public.

Spain Culture of Spain There are many more unique museums and galleries in the Kingdom of Spain.
Spain Culture of Spain The most famous museums in Spain that are world famous:
1. Picasso Museum and National Museum of Art of Catalonia, located in Barcelona.
2. National Museum of Sculpture in Valladolid.
3. El Greco Museum in Toledo.
4. Guggenheim Museum Bilbao.
5. Museum of Spanish Abstract Art in Cuenca.

Spain Culture of Spain Painting of Spain
Spain Spanish painting Artists of Spain (Spanish artists)
Spain Artists of Spain (Spanish artists) Frenzy and passion, an intense search for meaning in love and in death - painting in Spain is unthinkable without this. Both El Greco and Salvador Dali capture their great and unique country, its people and its history, using new means of expression. If the architecture of Spain was mainly imitative, then the painting was certainly original. It was in Spain that the strangest, most powerful and most terrible paintings in world culture were created: landscapes of Toledo and the Apostolic Series by El Greco, “black” etchings by Goya, “Guernica” by Picasso, surreal visions of Dali...
Spain Artists of Spain (Spanish artists) As A. Benoit accurately noted, “among the Spaniards, the artistic preference for black paint and gloomy penumbra fully corresponded to spiritual experiences, persistent thoughts about the sadness of earthly existence, about the redemptive benefit of suffering, about the poetry and beauty of death.”
Spain Artists of Spain (Spanish artists) Painting in Spain has left a noticeable mark on the world history of fine art. The brilliant flowering of painting begins with the appearance in Spain in 1576 of the painter Domenico Theotocopouli, nicknamed El Greco because he was Greek origin and was born on the island of Crete (1541-1614).
Spain Artists of Spain (Spanish Artists) The artist El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos) studied in Italy with the famous Titian and was invited to Spain by Philip II. El Greco moved to Spain in 1575 and settled in the city of Toledo. El Greco became the founder and head of the Toledo art school and wrote mainly on behalf of the monasteries and churches of Toledo.
Spain Artists of Spain (Spanish artists) Unusual, at first sight recognizable style artist El Greco (elongated figures, intensely frenzied poses and faces of the characters, a predominance of silver-blue color range) took shape in Toledo Today, the artist El Greco and the Spanish city of Toledo are unthinkable without each other. Some of El Greco's famous works (for example, "The Burial of Count Orgaz") were intended for Toledo churches and never left the city. You can see these unique works by the genius of world painting El Greco only there.
Spain Artists of Spain (Spanish artists) Another master of Spanish painting, Luis Morales (c. 1510-1586), also painted paintings on religious subjects, full of asceticism and suffering. The paintings of Luis Morales in terms of their impact on the viewer can be compared with the best works the famous El Greco. Luis Morales spent his entire life in the city of Badajoz, a small town near the Portuguese border, and his works are kept in museums in Toledo, Madrid and other cities.
Spain Artists of Spain (Spanish artists) Many Spanish artists deservedly belong to the category of classics of world painting. Among them are Jose de Ribera, Francisco Zurbaran, B. E. Murillo and D. Velazquez, who in his youth became the court artist of Philip IV. Velázquez's famous paintings "Las Meninas" or "The Maids of Honor", "The Surrender of Breda", "The Spinner" and portraits of the royal jesters are in the most famous Madrid museum, the Prado.
Spain Artists of Spain (Spanish Artists) The political and social upheavals of the 18th and 19th centuries were reflected in the work of Francisco Goya, for example his “Execution of the Rebels on the Night of May 3, 1808”, as well as his “Disasters of War” series. The fear-inducing “black paintings,” created shortly before the master’s death, are not only an expression of his own despair, but also evidence of the political chaos of that time.
Spain Artists of Spain (Spanish artists) The period of the 18th-19th centuries is generally characterized as a period of calm in the Spanish art of painting, closed on imitative classicism.
Spain Artists of Spain (Spanish artists) The revival of great Spanish painting occurs in the first half of the 20th century. New paths in world art were paved by the founder and prominent representative of surrealism in painting Salvador Dali (1904-1989), one of the founders of cubism Juan Gris (1887-1921), abstractionist Joan Miro (1893-1983) and Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) , who contributed to the development of several areas of contemporary art.
Spain Artists of Spain (Spanish artists) Miro and Dali were faithful to Spain until the end of their lives. They left their homes only during wars and exhibitions. Pablo Picasso, received art education in La Coruña, Barcelona and Madrid, and from 1904 he lived and worked in Paris. Commissioned by the Spanish government in 1937, Pablo Picasso painted his “Guernica” - a tragic symbol of the Civil War, during which a small Basque town was destroyed. In the same year, 1937, Joan Miro painted “Help Spain” - a furious and bright, memorable poster, and Salvador Dali - the painting “Premonition civil war"with spread out and intercepted bodies.
Spain Artists of Spain (Spanish Artists) The essence of Spanish painting can best be characterized by the expression of Salvador Dali himself, which he cited in his autobiography: “In order to become Dali, you must first of all be a Spaniard, or rather a Catalan, in other words, a creature equipped for delirium and paranoia, capable of being penetrated to the very depths, like the fishermen of Cadaqués, who are in the habit of decorating altar statues with their catch - dying lobsters. The spectacle of agony makes the fishermen sympathize with the passions of God with special force.” Indeed, in such a “living” living of religion is the whole soul of Spain, from El Greco to Dali.

Spain Modern Spain Painting of Spain
Spain Spanish painting today Artists of Spain (Spanish artists)
Artists of Spain Sculptors of modern Spain
Spain Artists of Spain (Spanish artists) Today, a new generation of Spanish artists, sculptors, and masters of art photography lives and works in the Kingdom of Spain. Contemporary Artists of Spain (Spanish artists) create new original paintings and sculptures.

Poets about Spain poems about Spain
Spain country great culture!

Spain is a country of sun, sea, mountains, Flamenco, Corida and beautiful people!

“Where nature captivates, like in a fairy tale
Miraculously, the mountains turn white in the distance.
Rubens, Velazquez worked there,
Picasso and Goya, Dali.
Where the bright sun shines
And where are the wonderful dreams, dreams.
Spain conquers us again
Everything sparkles in the rays of beauty.
Where the gold of the beaches sparkles,
Oranges and palm trees grow
And there is such beauty all around!
And Marbella gardens are blooming!
Where the fields and vast spaces are,
Where the transparent wave splashes
And the crystal clear sea,
This is a wonderful country!
Where there are flamenco songs and dances,
The loud sound of castanets is heard,
Where are the cheerful faces of the Spaniards,
There is no more beautiful country!”

Poets dedicate their poems to Spain. Artists from Spain paint wonderful paintings!
Artists of Spain Paintings by Spanish artists
Artists of Spain (Spanish artists)In our gallery you can get acquainted with the works of the best Spanish artists and Spanish sculptors.

Artists of Spain (Spanish artists)In our gallery you can find and purchase for yourself the best works of Spanish artists and Spanish sculptors.

Spain. A country bright sun, warm sea and fine wine. This is a country that has given us many famous names in various fields - in sports, cinema, literature. But Spain can also rightfully be proud of its artists. El Greco, Velazquez, Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, Francisco Goya - they all made an invaluable contribution to the development of world painting.

For true connoisseurs of the works of Spanish masters, we offer a 3-day tour of the main museums dedicated to these great people.

1 day. Let's start with the capital and main city of the country - Madrid. Why is he interesting? For example, because here you can find unique works by Francisco Goya. You will be able to visit the church best known as Goya's Pantheon. It is significant in that the master's frescoes have been preserved on its walls. First of all, you should pay attention to the dome of the church, where Goya depicted an unusual religious plot - the resurrection from the dead. In addition, the artist decorated the vaults of the chapel with amazing decorative compositions, in which the central place is given to angels. Also here are the remains of the great painter, transferred from France.

The next stop in Madrid is San Francisco El Grande, a temple from the late 18th century. Here you will see the painting “The Sermon of Saint Bernardine of Siena”, located in the Chapel of San Bernardino. It is worth taking a closer look at this work: you will see an image of Goya, captured by him at the very last moment before submitting the work.

The remaining time you can devote to walking along the cozy streets of Madrid or getting to know national cuisine in one of the many restaurants in the city.

Day 2. Flight to Barcelona. Another city and another, no less famous artist - Pablo Picasso. It is here that the Picasso Museum is located - the largest collection of works by the master, where you can enjoy his work, and mainly early period(from 1895 to 1904).

It is interesting to note that this collection was originally created by the artist’s friend, Jaime Sabartes, after whose death Picasso personally donated more than 2.5 thousand of his works (engravings, drawings, ceramics) to continue his work.

Day 3. From Barcelona you will go to the wonderful city of Figueres (Spanish: Figueres), where the Theater-Museum of the famous surrealist Salvador Dali is located. The journey will take place by train, which will allow you to enjoy the picturesque views of Catalonia. The museum itself is a unique complex, built according to the design of the artist himself on the ruins of the old municipal theater.

According to Dali's plan, it was supposed to be a kind of surreal labyrinth in which visitors could better understand the artist's intentions, as well as break away from their usual reality. In fact, the interior of the museum combines several architectural styles and various tricks that deceive human vision with the help of optical illusions. In addition, it contains the largest collection of works by the great Spanish genius, not only in painting, but also in sculpture, and even in jewelry.

Spain has every right to be called the homeland of the greatest people of the past and present. This country has given the world many amazing and talented people, including architects, artists, actors, directors, athletes and singers.

Among the artists this is - Diego Velasquez, which identifies the pinnacle of Spanish painting of the 18th century, Pablo Ruiz Picasso- founder of cubism, famous artist, graphic artist, sculptor and ceramist, Francisco Jose de Goya- famous painter and engraver, Salvador Dali- world famous artist, graphic artist, painter, sculptor, writer and director.

Among Catalan artists, except for Salvador Dali, the world-famous Joan Miró And Anthony Tapies.

Salvador Dali(1904-1989, full name- Salvador Domenech Felip Jacinth Dalí and Domenech, Marquis de Dalí de Pubol) is one of the most famous representatives surrealism.

Salvador Dali with his favorite ocelot named Babou in 1965.

Salvador Dali was born in Spain on May 11, 1904 in the city of Figueres (province of Girona, northern Catalonia) in the family of a wealthy notary. He was a Catalan by nationality, perceived himself as such and insisted on this peculiarity of his. Dali was an unusually shocking person.

Salvador was the third child in the family (he also had a brother and sister). His older brother died of meningitis before he was 2 years old, and his parents named the baby, born 9 months after his death, Salvador - “Savior”. Five-year-old Dali was told by his mother that he was the reincarnation of his brother.

The future artist grew up very capricious and arrogant, he loved to manipulate people through public scenes and hysterics.

His talent for fine art manifested itself already in childhood. At the age of 6, he painted interesting paintings; at the age of 14, his first exhibition took place in Figueres. Dali had the opportunity to improve his skills at the municipal art school.

In 1914-1918, Salvador studied in Figueres at the Academy of the Marist Order. Education at the monastic school did not go smoothly, and at the age of 15 the eccentric student was expelled for obscene behavior.

In 1916, a significant event for Dali took place - a trip to Cadaqués with the family of Ramon Pichot. There I became acquainted with modern painting. In his hometown, the genius studied with Joan Nunez.

At the age of 17 - in 1921 - the future artist graduated from the institute (that was the name of the secondary school in Catalonia).

After this, in 1921, Salvador went to Madrid and entered the Academy there fine arts. He didn't like studying. He believed that he himself could teach his teachers the art of drawing. He stayed in Madrid only because he was interested in communicating with his comrades.

At the Academy's School of Fine Arts, he became close to the literary and artistic circles of Madrid. in particular with Luis Buñuel And Federico Garcia Lorcoy. Although Dali did not stay at the Academy for long (he was expelled in 1924 for some overly bold ideas and misbehavior), this did not prevent the artist from organizing the first small exhibition of his works and quickly achieving fame in Spain.

Dali returned to the Academy a year later, but was expelled again in 1926 (Salvador was 22 years old) and without the right to reinstatement. The incident that led to this situation was simply amazing: during one of the exams, a professor at the Academy asked to name the 3 greatest artists in the world. Dali replied that he would not answer questions of this kind, because not a single teacher from the Academy had the right to be his judge.

Dali proclaimed complete freedom from any aesthetic or moral compulsion and went to the very limits in any creative experiment. He did not hesitate to bring to life the most provocative ideas and wrote everything: from love and the sexual revolution, history and technology to society and religion.

One of famous paintings Dali "The Persistence of Memory".

Painting "Dream".

Painting "The Great Masturbator".

Painting "The Phantom of Sexual Attraction".

Painting "Galatea with Spheres".

In 1929, Dali found his muse. She became Gala Eluard. It is she who is depicted in many paintings by Salvador Dali. At the age of 30 - in 1934 - Dali unofficially entered into marriage with Gala, who was 10 years older than the artist (the woman's real name was Elena Dyakonova, born in Kazan. Because of her love passion for Dali, she left her husband, a French poet. Fields of Eluard and 16-year-old daughter Cecile). However, the religious ceremony of Dali’s marriage to Gala took place only 24 years later - in 1958.

Salvador and Gala lived in a small village Cadaques(province of Girona) in the port of Ligat - there was Dali’s only own home, which he, already married, having returned from Paris, purchased for himself and his wife Gala. At that time it was a small hut where local fishermen stored their gear, with a total area of ​​22 square meters. meters.

Over time, Dali’s house in Cadaques, during the 40 years of the impressionist’s family living there, became larger and more beautiful: the artist acquired neighboring shacks, restored them and combined them into a single building. It was in this way that a workshop appeared in the bay, where the great impressionist created most of his masterpieces.

House-Museum of Salvador Dali in the village of Cadaques.

21.03.2013 16:17

Queen Isabella (1451-1504)

Queen Isabella of Castile in the history of Spain is the same as Catherine II together with Peter I for Russia.

It is difficult to imagine a monarch more revered by the Spaniards than Isabella, nicknamed the Catholic. She united the Spanish lands, completed the process of the Reconquista (the reconquest of the lands of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors), and allocated funds for the expedition of Christopher Columbus, during which the famous navigator from Genoa discovered America.

Chronicles write that Isabella was “good-looking, intelligent, energetic and pious.” Having married the Aragonese prince Ferdinand in 1469, she united the lands of two kingdoms - Castile and Aragon. Spanish historians call Isabella's reign "severe but fair." In 1485, on her initiative, a new criminal code was introduced, extremely harsh compared to the previous one. Isabella suppressed any uprisings and unrest with fire and sword. At the same time, war was declared on dissent - the Grand Inquisitor Thomas Torquemada was Isabella's personal confessor. During the reign of the queen, the Dominicans burned more than ten thousand “infidels—Muslims, Jews and other dissidents—in Castile alone. Hundreds of thousands of people, fleeing the fires of the Inquisition, hastily left Spain.

In the last war with the Arabs of 1487-1492. Isabella, dressed in armor, personally led the advance of the Spanish troops, who, with the help of Swiss mercenaries, were able to take Granada, the last Muslim bastion. Those who were not baptized were either expelled from the country or executed. The Spanish episcopate has long been seeking Isabella's canonization from the Vatican, but, apparently, this issue will not be resolved soon. Not all ministers of the Holy See can close their eyes to the Castilian queen's support for the Inquisition and her policies towards Muslims and Jews.

Hernando Cortes (1485-1547)

The thousand-peseta banknote, which until recently was in circulation in Spain, depicts two stern, bearded men. These are Hernando Cortez and Francisco Pizarro - the most famous in history and at the same time the bloodiest conquerors.

One destroyed the Aztec civilization, the other razed the Inca Empire to the ground. Having made many important geographical discoveries and become in Spain national heroes, in world history They entered first of all as people who were infinitely greedy and incredibly cruel. Ten years after the significant discovery of Christopher Columbus, a young representative of a poor noble family, Hernando Cortes, sailed to America with the sole purpose of improving his financial situation. In which he succeeded. Having heard about the untold wealth of the Aztecs, the most powerful people of Mexico at that time, Cortez with a detachment of four hundred people set off on a campaign against the capital of the state - the three hundred thousandth Tenochtitlan. Using methods of bribery and deception, the Spaniard captured the Aztec leader Montezuma, and then began to empty the city’s treasuries and in three days melted all the gold jewelry he found into ingots. The Spaniards treated captured Indians very simply - they tied them with straw and set them on fire...

Destroying the Aztec Empire and becoming governor new country, called Mexico, Cortez did not rest on his laurels, he again went on an expedition - to Honduras and California. He was ready to tirelessly search for gold and kill for it until the very last day of his life. At the same time, Cortez was incredibly lucky. Having suffered from then-deadly malaria in America, he returned to Spain, where the king granted the conqueror the title of marquis. Already elderly, Cortes commanded a punitive expedition in Algeria. He died a wealthy and respected man on his estate in Spain. For the conquistadors who flooded new lands, such a peaceful death was very rare.

Cervantes (1547–1616)

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra's immortal novel “The Cunning Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha” ranks second in the world after the Bible in terms of the number of reprints.

Last year, the four hundredth anniversary of the first publication of the book that glorified Cervantes was widely celebrated throughout the world. In the homeland of the writer and his heroes, about two thousand exhibitions, performances and other events were organized in honor of the anniversary of Don Quixote. The most devoted admirers of the novel were invited to take a tour of the places of military glory of the knight and his servant - the route ran through one hundred and five villages in which the action of the book took place.

Meanwhile, the life of Cervantes himself was no less interesting than the wanderings of his hero. He was born in 1547 in the town of Alcala de Henares in the family of a surgeon. From childhood he was drawn to books and already at a young age he wrote poetry. At the age of twenty, Miguel went to Italy. In 1570 he finds himself on military service in the royal navy and a year later takes part in the famous Battle of Lepanto, which ended Turkish rule in the Mediterranean.

Cervantes was seriously wounded in that battle by a shot from an arquebus, as a result of which his left arm was left paralyzed. But he did not leave the service and subsequently fought in Corfu and Tunisia. Having finally received permission to go to his homeland, Spain, on the way Cervantes was captured by Algerian pirates and spent five long years in slavery. He tried to escape several times, but was caught each time. As a result, the monks of the Holy Trinity brotherhood ransomed him from captivity.

Returning to Madrid after all his wanderings, he got married and began writing his first novel, Galatea. But soon need forced him to move to Seville and take the position of tax collector. In 1597, he went to prison for financial shortfalls. It was there that he came up with the idea of ​​writing a novel about Don Quixote. In 1605 the book was published. With the enormous success that befell him, great writer enjoyed the last ten years of his life, during which he managed to write the second part of Don Quixote and the novel The Wanderings of Persiles and Sikhismunda. Cervantes completed his last book three days before his death.

Salvador Dalí (1904–1989)

At the age of six he wanted to become a chef. At seven - Napoleon. As a result, he became one of the greatest artists in human history.

Hundreds of studies and articles have been written about Salvador Dali, his mesmerizing paintings and lifelong love story, and many more are likely to be written. His life and his genius bordering on madness were too unusual. Dali himself loved to talk and write about this genius without any shadow of embarrassment. He was absolutely immune to any criticism. And he was always one hundred percent sure that he was right.

“I don’t care at all what critics write. “I know that deep down they love my work, but they are afraid to admit it,” Dali wrote in one of his articles. When in the early 30s Andre Breton and company expelled him from the surrealist circle for sympathizing with Adolf Hitler, Dali only laughed in response, uttering the famous phrase: “Surrealism is me." However, the political predilections of the great hoaxer were never serious. He just didn’t want to be like everyone else, he always opposed himself to those around him, even if they were his friends. When the entire creative intelligentsia of Spain supported the Republic; Dali, unexpectedly for everyone, sided with Franco.

The reasons for the artist’s eccentric behavior and difficult character should be sought in childhood. The mother terribly spoiled her only child (Dali’s older brother died before Salvador was born), forgiving him all his whims and hysterics. Coming from a wealthy family, Dali could afford these whims in the future. At the age of fifteen, he was kicked out of the monastic school for “misbehavior,” and at nineteen, from the Academy of Arts. The habit of “playing pranks” did not leave the artist throughout his eighty-five-year life.

One of these stories was told in the essay “Sabre Dance” by writer Mikhail Weller. The famous Soviet composer Aram Khachaturian, while in Spain, decided to visit the great artist. Dali's servants warmly received the guest, saying that “the maestro is working, but will come down soon.” Khachaturian was offered fruit, wine and cigars. Having quenched his thirst, he began to wait. One hour, two, three - Dali still doesn’t appear. I checked the doors - they were locked. And the composer really wanted to go to the toilet. And then he, an honorable guest from the USSR, having sacrificed his principles and silently cursing the crazy old man, was forced to use an ancient Moorish vase. And at that very moment, the famous “Sabre Dance” thundered from the speakers, the doors swung open, and Dali burst into the room - completely naked, riding on a mop and with a crooked saber in his hand. Poor Aram Khachaturian, blushing with shame, fled from the surrealist...

Dali performed his last trick after his death on January 23, 1989. According to the will, the artist’s body was embalmed and displayed for a week in the house-museum in Figueres. Tens of thousands of people came to say goodbye to the genius.

Garcia Lorca (1898-1936)

His image has long been heroized and romanticized. Odes and poems to the Spanish “slave of honor” were dedicated to his Soviet “colleagues” Yevtushenko and Voznesensky. They tried to mold him into a singer of the revolution. But was Lorca really him? Most evidence indicates that Lorca and Che Guevara had in common only the fact that both were loved by the common people and were shot without trial. Federico García Lorca was born in Andalusia, in a region where Gypsy and Spanish cultures are wonderfully intertwined. His mother played the piano beautifully, and his father sang ancient Andalusian “cante jondo” with a guitar. Lorca began writing poetry while studying at the University of Granada, and in 1921 his first was published in Madrid. poetry collection. He wrote a lot, talking about everything he sees and feels in poems, dramas, verses, plays for puppet theater. He was friends with Salvador Dali and tried his hand at painting. He traveled around the USA and Cuba for two years, and then triumphantly returned to Spain, where a republic was proclaimed in 1931...

By the age of thirty-five, Lorca had become a world-famous poet and playwright. He really supported the republican government, but did not strive to be a politician, remaining only an artist. In the very first months of the civil war, he did not heed the advice of friends to leave for the United States for a while, but went to his native Granada, where he was shot by the Phalangists. When, after the murder of García Lorca, the image of a martyr who gave his life for the ideas of the Republic began to be created, many of the poet’s friends expressed their protest to the left. “Lorca, a poet through and through, remains the most apolitical creature I have ever known. He simply turned out to be a redemptive victim of personal, super-personal, local passions, and most importantly, he fell an innocent prey to that almighty, convulsive, universal chaos that was called the Spanish Civil War,” Salvador Dali wrote about the death of Lorca.

Seventy years have passed since Lorca’s execution, and his body has still not been found. Recently, the government of the Andalusian Autonomy has developed a grandiose program, the purpose of which is to identify the body of the poet. To do this, authorities will try to identify the remains of four thousand victims of Francoist repression discovered in a mass grave near Granada. There are about fifty thousand such graves in Spain.

Francisco Franco (1892-1975)

On March 17, 2005, the last monument to the military dictator of Spain, General Franco, was removed in Madrid. The bronze general prancing on horseback was removed from its pedestal in San Juan de la Cruz Square and transported by truck to a warehouse.

According to the official version, Franco was removed because the monument “interfered with construction work.” According to surveys public opinion, the bronze horseman was not liked by most of the townspeople. However, soon after the dismantling, a mass rally of Francoists began in the square. They carried portraits of the general in their hands, sang the anthem of the previous regime, and then laid bouquets of flowers and wreaths on the orphaned pedestal - for “saving Spain from communism”...

General Franco has been lying in the grave for more than thirty years, and there has been no unanimity regarding his person in Spanish society. For some, he is a brutal dictator and “Spanish Hitler”; for others, he is a strong politician and father of the nation. Some call the thirty-six years of Franco's dictatorship an era of stagnation and timelessness, others call it the most stable period in spanish history. Some prefer to remember the six hundred thousand human lives lost in the Spanish Civil War, while others say that without this war and without the brutal repressions of the Franco regime, Spain would have lost its integrity and simply ceased to exist. Francisco Paulino Ermengildo Teodulo Franco Bahamonde was born in 1892 in Galicia. He went to Sacred Heart College and drew well - biographers write that young Franco had great abilities. But he did not become an artist - at the age of twelve, dreaming of a military career, Francisco entered the Marine preparatory school. Having completed his studies at eighteen, he went to fight in Morocco.

They say that Franco was very complex because of his short stature (164 centimeters) and was ready to do anything for a successful career. And it turned out to be not just successful – brilliant. At twenty-three he became a major, at thirty-three a general. At thirty-eight, when he led a military rebellion against the Republic, Franco promoted himself to generalissimo. In the three-year civil war, the Phalangists were helped by Italian and German fascists, and the Republicans were helped by the Soviet Union and international brigades formed from foreign volunteers. Franco called his war against the “ghost of communism” the second Reconquista, and ordered himself to be called “caudillo” - like the medieval kings who fought the Moors.

The victory of Franco's supporters in April 1939 marked a new period in the life of Spain - the era of military dictatorship and total power of the caudillo. However, the cunning “pequeno shorty,” as Franco’s ill-wishers dubbed him, managed to do a lot for the good of his country. Having convinced Hitler of complete loyalty, Franco managed to preserve Spain's independence from the Reich, as well as its neutrality in World War II. This allowed the dictator to restore the country devastated by a long civil war. In 1945, at a conference in Potsdam, Spain was not recognized as an interventionist country, which gave it a good head start in the post-war period.

Being a “tyrant and dictator,” it was Franco who returned the monarchy to Spain, appointing as his successor the young Prince Juan Carlos, a man with whose name the country associates the implementation of reforms and the advent of a new era.

Pablo Picasso (1881–1973)

Recently, Russian economists calculated that the total cost of Pablo Picasso’s paintings exceeds the cost of Gazprom. And this is hardly an exaggeration.

During his long ninety-two-year life, the great Spaniard created hundreds of masterpieces, which today are valued at tens of millions of dollars. It is Picasso's painting that holds the record as the most expensive piece of art sold at auction. In 2004, Sotheby’s sold one of the maestro’s early works, “Boy with a Pipe,” for one hundred and four million dollars...

Picasso himself never in his life thought about big money, or profit, or even fame. Although from childhood he lived not richly, as he came from a noble but impoverished family. The love of painting was instilled in little Pablo by his father, Jose Ruiz Blanco, who taught drawing at the University of Galician La Coruña. One day, his father saw the pencil sketches made by Pablo and was amazed at the boy’s skill. Then he handed him his palette and brushes and said: “I can teach you nothing more, my son.”

First creative period The young Picasso is usually called “blue” due to the predominance of blue tones in his canvases. At this time he lived in Paris and Barcelona and created one masterpiece after another - “Wandering Gymnasts”, “Girl on a Ball”, “Portrait of Vollard”. For a long time he could not sell any of his works and had difficulty making ends meet. Picasso's position improved only after meeting the Russian collector Sergei Shchukin, who was amazed by Pablo's paintings and purchased fifty of his works.

Picasso is often called the founder of Cubism, but he himself never considered himself a follower of any one genre of art. He always experimented - both in painting, and in sculpture, and in creating scenery for the theater. In 1946, while living in France, he became interested in the art of ceramics, and a year later he developed a special technique of lithography.

One of Picasso’s main masterpieces is “Guernica,” a grandiose anti-war painting painted in response to the bombing of the city of Guernica in the Basque Country by the German allies of General Franco in 1937. The town was razed to the ground, and more than a thousand people died in a few hours. And just two months after the event, the panel appeared at the International Exhibition in Paris. Everyone learned about the crimes of fascism. Guernica returned to Spain, to the Prado Museum in Madrid in 1981. Its creator did not live to see the end of Franco's dictatorship for only two years.

Juan Antonio Samaranch (1920-2010)

The now former, and once seemingly eternal, President of the International Olympic Committee, Marquis Juan Antonio Samaranch, most of all, disliked it when he was criticized and when his past, which was very difficult and ambiguous, was remembered.

And so when British reporter Andrew Jennings found in the archives and published photographs in which the future head of the Olympic movement, kneeling, greets General Franco, Samaranch’s reaction was extremely harsh. When the journalist arrived on editorial business in the capital of the Olympic movement, Lausanne, he was immediately captured and sent to jail on charges of spreading slander about the Spanish Marquis.

After serving five days in prison, Jennings continued to undermine the throne of the Olympian emperor with redoubled zeal. In the books "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Great Olympic Swindle" published in the late 90s, the venerable marquis, who pulled the Olympic movement out of a debt hole and turned it into profitable business, is presented as a “notorious conformist, fascist and corrupt official.” The author of instantly best-selling books called Samaranch's merits in financing the Olympics from such revenue sources as royalties from advertising and television broadcasts dubious, noting that along with big money came corruption, doping and scandals into sports.

Along the way, the reader learned many unpleasant facts from the biography of the Marquis. So, in his youth, Samaranch, to the complete surprise of his completely democratic family, joined the Francoists. Later he left his beloved, but by no means rich girl for the sake of marrying a representative of a noble family. In the 60s, he was the only Catalan who was part of the Francoist government and, being the governor of the caudillo in his native Barcelona, ​​dealt harshly with the opposition...

In the spring of 1977, an angry crowd cordoned off Samaranch's residence in Barcelona, ​​demanding the blood of the "dictator's henchman." The special forces miraculously managed to evacuate the Catalan prime minister - it is difficult to imagine what would have happened to the history of the Olympic movement if the police had been late. Having gone into diplomatic exile from the USSR, Juan Antonio realized that it was time to end big politics - and took up big sports.

In Spain, his merits are recognized - many agreed to turn a blind eye to Samaranch’s past, because it was he who secured the 1992 Olympics for Barcelona. However, they don’t love to love. Recently, a protest rally took place in the Catalan Almetia against the authorities’ decision to name one of the streets after Samaranch.

Luis Buñuel (1900–1983)

“He made movies as if he were writing a novel. And he used the camera like a pen. He never reshot scenes. If you played poorly, then there was no way to replay. He would immediately rewrite the scene, otherwise he would get bored,” this is how Luis Buñuel was remembered by French film star Carole Bouquet, a representative of a whole galaxy of actors and actresses whose talent was discovered by the great director.

Luis Buñuel, like General Franco, received his first education at a strict Jesuit college. Only one of them became a reactionary and dictator, and the other became a devoted champion of freedom and democracy. The life of the greatest film director, like the lives of dozens of other representatives of the generation of the golden Spanish intelligentsia of the early 20th century, can be divided into two parts. The first is a happy and carefree time of youth and daring experiments in art and cinema, which lasted until the civil war and the establishment of the regime of Caudillo Franco. The second is the time spent in exile in the USA, Mexico, France and other countries of the world. The main milestones of Buñuel's pre-war life were his move to Madrid in 1917, his acquaintance with Ortega y Gasset, Unamuno, Lorca, Dali, his participation in the Parisian Avangard movement, and his experiences as a director in cinema.

In 1928, he made his first film, “Un Chien Andalou,” which he immediately criticized. Catholic Church. Both Buñuel’s second film, “The Golden Age,” and the documentary “Land Without Bread,” which tells about the terrible conditions of peasant labor, are banned from showing in the country. During the civil war, Buñuel immediately took the side of the Republicans, and in 1939, after the victory of the junta, he was forced to leave for the United States...

Surprisingly, he returned to Spain twenty-two years later at the invitation of the very man who kicked him out of the country - Francisco Franco. True, the romance between the director and the dictator did not last long. Filmed in 1961, “Viridiana”, enthusiastically received by European critics and receiving the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival, was banned by censors in Spain due to accusations of insulting the church...

Buñuel can be compared to a good Spanish collection wine. The older the director became, the more elegant, beautiful, and thoughtful pictures he produced. Luis Buñuel made his best films already in old age. These are the most interesting works with the Frenchwoman Catherine Deneuve in leading role– “Beauty of the Day” and “Tristana”. And a magnificent surreal film " Discreet charm bourgeoisie", awarded an Oscar in 1972.

By the way, the maestro, like a true Spaniard, loved wine very much. But he loved vermouth even more. In his autobiographical book about Buñuel, he describes in detail how his favorite cocktail is made from Noilly-Prat, the driest French vermouth. The main condition is that the ice must be very hard and cold - at least twenty degrees below zero. “When friends gather, I take everything I need and first pour a few drops of Noilly Prat and half a spoonful of Angostura coffee liqueur onto very hard ice. I shake and empty, leaving only ice, which retains the smell. I fill this ice with pure gin, stir a little and serve. That’s all, but you couldn’t imagine anything better.”

Julio Iglesias (b. 1943)

If little Julio Iglesias had been told that he would become the most popular singer in Spain and sell more albums than anyone else in the world, he would have called such a predictor a liar. Because from a very young age, the Madrid native was preparing for a career as a professional football player. He became a football player, and at the age of eighteen he defended the goal of the country’s main team, Real Madrid.

However, Iglesias’s sports career ended before it really began. Julio was in a serious accident and spent two years in the hospital. I had to say goodbye to my ambitious plans to play at the World Championships. But he discovered in himself new talent- writing and performing songs. “When I realized that I would live, I began to think about how to live further. I missed human warmth and communication, and I began to look for them by writing songs and playing along with myself on the guitar,” recalls Iglesias. Already his first performance at the competition in Benidorm brought him fame. Unlike the noisy and hot-tempered singers of that time, Julio Iglesias appeared on stage in an invariable suit and tie, and was calm and reserved. At first he was criticized for the sake of decency. And then everyone began to worship him in unison. The songs Gwendoline, Paloma and Canto A Galicia became national hits.

It only took Iglesias a few years to become Spain's number one singer. And he still maintains the palm, releasing an album a year and touring incessantly. In terms of the number of these concerts - something like five thousand - he is only slightly behind James Brown. In terms of the number of numbered albums released - almost eighty - it is ahead of the Rolling Stones. Finally, in the Guinness Book of Records, Julio Iglesias appears as the only owner of a “diamond disc” in the history of music - he received it for the fact that over two hundred and fifty million copies of his albums have been sold in the world.