The Spanish Renaissance was a movement in Spain, emerging from the Italian Renaissance in Italy during the 14th century, that spread to Spain during the 15th and 16th centuries. This new focus in art, literature, quotes and science inspired by the Greco-Roman tradition of Classical antiquity, received a major impulse from several events in 1492: * Unification of the longed-for Christian kingdom with the definitive taking of

Granada Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...

, the last Islamic controlled territory in the Iberian Peninsula, and the successive expulsions of thousands of Muslim and Jewish believers, *The official discovery of the western hemisphere, the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

, *The publication of the first grammar of a vernacular European language in

print Printing is the process for reproducing text and images using a master form or template Print or printing may also refer to: Publishing * Canvas print, the result of an image printed onto canvas which is often stretched, or gallery-wrapped, o ...

, the '' Gramática'' (''Grammar'') by Antonio de Nebrija.

Historical background

The beginning of the Renaissance in Spain is closely linked to the historical-political life of the monarchy of the Catholic Monarchs. Its figures are the first to leave the medieval approaches that secured a feudal scheme of weak monarch over a powerful and restless nobility. The Catholic Monarchs unite the forces of the incipient state and ally with the principal families of the nobility to maintain their power. One of these families, the Mendoza, use the new style like distinction of its clan and, by extension, of the protection of the monarchy. Little by little, the novel esthetic was introduced into the rest of the court and the clergy, mixing with purely Iberian styles, like the Nasrid art of the dying kingdom of Granada, the exalted and personal Gothic Castilian queen, and the Flemish tendencies in the official painting of the court and the Church. The assimilation of elements gave way to a personal interpretation of the orthodox Renaissance, which came to be called Plateresque. Therefore, secondary artists were brought in from Italy, apprentices were sent to the Italian shops, they brought designs, architectural plans, books and engravings, paintings, etc., of which portraits, themes and composition were copied. King Charles I was more predisposed to the new art, paradoxically called ''the old way'', remitted to the Classical antiquity. His direct patronage achieved some of the most beautiful works of the special and unique Spanish Renaissance style: the patronage of Almazan de Covarrubias, his commissions for Titian, who never agreed to relocate to Spain. Painters of great quality were, far from the courtier nucleus, Pedro Berruguete,

Juan de Juanes Vicente Juan Masip (also known as Joan de Joanes) (15071579) was a Spanish painter of the Renaissance period. He is commonly considered the foremost member of the Valencian school of painters. Masip was born in La Font de la Figuera. His fathe ...

Paolo da San Leocadio Pablo da San Leocadio or Paolo da Reggio (10 September 1447 – c. 1520) was an Italian painter from Reggio Emilia, who was mostly active in Spain. Biography In the 1450s or 1460 he moved to Ferrara, where he was influenced by local painters ...

, of whom the delicate ''Virgin of the Caballero de Montesa'' is highlighted, Yáñez de la Almazan and Gerardo de los Llanos. The painting of the Spanish Renaissance is normally completed in oil. It realizes interiors perfectly subject to the laws of perspective, without over-emphasis of the people. The figures are all of the same size and anatomically correct. The colors and the shading are applied in tonal ranges, according to the Italian teachings. To accentuate the Italian style, in addition, it is common to add elements directly copied from it, like the adornments ''a candelieri'' (borders of vegetables and cupids that surround the frames), or Roman ruins in the countrysides, including in scenes of the life of Christ.

Literature

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 NS) was an Early Modern Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-eminent novelists. He is best know ...

, author of ''El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha'' * Jorge Manrique author of the ''Coplas por la muerte de su padre'' * Garcilaso de la Vega, poet. * San Juan de la Cruz and *

Santa Teresa de Jesús Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnight ...

, mystic poets . *

Fernando de Rojas Fernando de Rojas (c. 1465/73, in La Puebla de Montalbán, Toledo, Spain – April 1541, in Talavera de la Reina, Toledo, Spain) was a Spanish author and dramatist, known for his only surviving work, '' La Celestina'' (originally titled ''Trag ...

, author of '' La Celestina'' * Fray Luis de León * Juan Boscán * Ausiàs March *

Alonso de Ercilla Alonso de Ercilla y Zúñiga (7 August 153329 November 1594) was a Spanish soldier and poet, born in Madrid. While in Chile (1556–63) he fought against the Araucanians (Mapuche), and there he began the epic poem ''La Araucana'', considered one o ...

, author of ''

La Araucana ''La Araucana'' (also known in English as ''The Araucaniad'') is a 16th-century epic poem in Spanish by Alonso de Ercilla, about the Spanish Conquest of Chile. It was considered the national epic of the Captaincy General of Chile and one of the ...

'' *

Lope de Rueda Lope de Rueda (c.1505<1510–1565) was a Spanish dramatist and author, regarded by some as the best of his era. A versatile writer, he also wrote comedies, farces, and Paso (theatre), pasos. He was the precursor to wha ...

Fray Luis de Granada Louis of Granada, OP (1504 – 31 December 1588), was a Dominican friar who was noted as theologian, writer and preacher. The cause for his canonization has been long open with the Holy See, with his current status being Venerable. Biography ...

* Marqués de Santillana * Diego Hurtado de Mendoza *

Juan Latino Juan Latino (born Juan de Sessa; Ethiopia c. 1518 – Granada, c. 1594/1597) was a Spanish professor of Ethiopian descent at the University of Granada during the sixteenth century. He could be considered the first African who studied at a Europea ...

, born Juan de Sessa, poet and humanist. * Alonzo de Santa Cruz * Francisco de la Torre * Juan de Valdés *

Lucio Marineo Siculo Lucio Marineo Siculo (Vizzini, 1444 or 1445 – Spain, 1533) was a Sicilian humanist, historian and poet, known as a prominent figure of the Spanish Renaissance. He first taught Greek and Latin literature in Palermo. He moved to Spain and taug ...

, Sicilian humanist and historian. *Anonymous writers of the '' Romancero'' and of the Masterpiece of picaresque literature ''Vida de Lazarillo de Tormes''

Painting and sculpture

Painters

* Pedro Berruguete *

Alonso Berruguete Alonso González de Berruguete (Alonso Berruguete) (c. 1488 – 1561) was a Spanish painter, sculptor and architect. He is considered to be the most important sculptor of the Spanish Renaissance, and is known for his emotive sculptures depict ...

* Alonso Cano * Juan de Flandes * Fernando Gallego *

El Greco Domḗnikos Theotokópoulos ( el, Δομήνικος Θεοτοκόπουλος ; 1 October 1541 7 April 1614), most widely known as El Greco ("The Greek"), was a Greek painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. "El G ...

Luis de Morales Luis de Morales (1509 – 9 May 1586) was a Spanish painter active during the Spanish Renaissance in the 16th century. Known as "El Divino", most of his work was of religious subjects, including many representations of the Madonna and Child and ...

* Juan Pantoja de la Cruz * Alonso Sánchez Coello * Sofonisba Anguissola *

Fernando Yáñez de la Almedina Fernando (or Hernando) Yáñez de la Almedina, born in Almedina, Spain in ''c''. 1475 and died in Valencia, Kingdom of Spain in 1536, was a Spanish painter. He was one of the most important early Renaissance painters in Spain. Of supposed ...

Bartolomé González y Serrano Bartolomé González y Serrano (1564–1627) was a Spanish Baroque painter specializing in portraits that represent a continuation of Renaissance court portrait types practiced by Alonso Sánchez Coello and especially by Juan Pantoja de la Cruz. ...

Diego Velázquez Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez (baptized June 6, 1599August 6, 1660) was a Spanish painter, the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV of Spain and Portugal, and of the Spanish Golden Age. He was an individualistic artist of th ...

Paintings

*''

The Burial of the Count of Orgaz ''The Burial of the Count of Orgaz'' ( es, El Entierro del Conde de Orgaz) is a 1586 painting by El Greco, a prominent Renaissance painter, sculptor, and architect of Greek origin. Widely considered among his finest works, it illustrates a popul ...

'' by

*''

The Nobleman with his Hand on his Chest ''The Nobleman with his Hand on his Chest'' (also known as ''The Gentleman with His Hand at His Breast'' or ''Gentleman with his Hand on his Chest'') ( es, El caballero de la mano en el pecho) is an oil painting by El Greco, one of the earliest ...

'' by El Greco *'' Laocoön'' by El Greco *''Annunciation'' by Pedro Berruguete *''Pieta'' by Fernando Gallego *''Portrait of Isabel Clara Eugenia'' by Alonso Sánchez Coello *''Virgin of the Milk'' or ''Virgin with Child'' (Luis de Morales).

Sculptors

Juan de Ancheta ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish language, Spanish and Manx language, Manx versions of ''John (given name), John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronoun ...

Gaspar Becerra Gaspar Becerra (1520–1568) was a Spanish painter and sculptor of the School of Valladolid. Biography He was born at Baeza in the Province of Jaén. He went to Rome in 1545, and studied with Giorgio Vasari, whom he assisted in painting the h ...

* Felipe Bigarny *

Damià Forment Damià Forment (Valencia ca. 1475/1480 – Santo Domingo de la Calzada, 1540) was a Valencian Spanish architect and sculptor, considered the most important Spanish sculptor of the 16th century. Forment studied in Rome and Florence before returning ...

Esteban Jordán Esteban () is a Spanish male given name, derived from Greek Στέφανος (Stéphanos) and related to the English names Steven and Stephen. Although in its original pronunciation the accent is on the penultimate syllable, English-speakers tend t ...

* Juan de Juni *

Bartolomé Ordóñez Bartolomé Ordóñez (Burgos, c. 1480 – Carrara, 6 December 1520) was a Spanish Renaissance sculptor. Life and work Little is known about Ordóñez before the last five years of his life. His will indicates that he was an ''hidalgo'' born in Bur ...

* Diego Siloe

Architecture

* Juan de Herrera * Juan Bautista de Toledo *

Gil de Hontañón Gil or GIL may refer to: Places * Gil Island (disambiguation), one of several islands by that name * Gil, Iran, a village in Hormozgan Province, Iran * Hil, Azerbaijan, also spelled ''Gil, a village in Azerbaijan * Hiloba, also spelled ''Gil, ...

* Diego Siloe *

Enrique Egas Enrique () is the Spanish variant of the given name Heinrich of Germanic origin. Equivalents in other languages are Henry (English), Enric (Catalan), Enrico (Italian), Henrik (Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian), Heinrich (German), Hendrik, Henk (Du ...

* Alonso de Covarrubias *

Pedro Machuca Pedro Machuca (c. 1490 in Toledo, Spain – 1550 in Granada) is mainly remembered as the Spanish architect responsible for the design of the Palace of Charles V (begun 1528) adjacent to the Alcazar in Granada. The significance of this work is tha ...

Andrés de Vandelvira Andrés de Vandelvira (1509–1575) was a Spanish architect, active mainly in Jaén, Uclés, Baeza, and Úbeda during the Renaissance. He was born in Alcaraz, in the province of Albacete and died in Jaén. The church of Nuestra Señora de ...

Diego de Riaño Diego de Riaño (died 1534) was a Spanish architect of the Renaissance. He was one of the most outstanding architects of the Plateresque style. He was born at Riaño, in Cantabria, and is documented in Seville starting from 1523. In 1527 ...

Juan de Álava Juan de Álava (1480-1537) was a Spanish architect best known for his stonework produced in the Plateresque style. Life Juan de Álva was born in 1480 in Larrinoa, a locality of Zigoitia, Álava to a family of stonemasons. In 1502, de Álva tr ...

* Hernán Ruiz the Younger

Music

* Arpa de dos ordenes (Spanish cross-strung harp) *

Juan de Anchieta Juan de Anchieta (Azpeitia, Gipuzkoa, Spain, 1462 – Azpeitia, 1523) was a leading Spanish Basque composer of the Renaissance, at the Royal Court Chaplaincy in Granada of Queen Isabel I of Castile. History Born into a leading Basque family, ...

Antonio de Cabezón Antonio de Cabezón (30 March 1510 – 26 March 1566) was a Spanish Renaissance composer and organist. Blind from childhood, he quickly rose to prominence as a performer and was eventually employed by the royal family. He was among the most impo ...

(organist) * Juan del Encina (also poet and playwright) *

Bartolomé de Escobedo Bartolomé de Escobedo (1515 – August 11, 1563) was a Spanish composer of the Renaissance. Biography He was born in Zamora, studied at Salamanca where he was a singer, and in 1536 joined the papal choir in Rome as only the second Spaniard t ...

* Juan de Esquivel Barahona * Juan Pérez de Gijón *

Francisco Guerrero Francisco Guerrero is the name of: *Francisco Guerrero (composer) (1528–1599), Spanish composer of the Renaissance * Francisco Guerrero (politician) (1811–1851), Alcalde of San Francisco *Francisco Guerrero Marín (1951–1997), Spanish composer ...

* Mateo Flecha *

Alonso Lobo Alonso Lobo (February 25, 1555 (baptised) – April 5, 1617) was a Spanish composer of the late Renaissance. Although not as famous as Tomás Luis de Victoria, he was highly regarded at the time, and Victoria himself considered him to be his e ...

Luis de Milán Luis de Milán (also known as Lluís del Milà or Luys Milán) (c. 1500 – c. 1561) was a Spanish Renaissance composer, vihuelist, and writer on music. He was the first composer in history to publish music for the vihuela de mano, an instru ...

(vihuelist) * Cristóbal de Morales * Alonso Mudarra * Juan Navarro * Diego Ortiz *

Francisco de Peñalosa Francisco de Peñalosa (c. 1470 – April 1, 1528) was a Spanish composer of the middle Renaissance. Life He was born in Talavera de la Reina in the province of Toledo. He spent most of his career in Seville, serving as the ''maestro di capi ...

Joan Pau Pujol Joan Pau Pujol (; baptized 18 June 1570 – 17 May 1626) was a Catalan and Spanish composer and organist of the late Renaissance and early Baroque. While best known for his sacred music, he also wrote popular secular music. Life Pujol was born ...

* Melchior Robles * Francisco de Salinas (theorist) *

Tomás de Santa María Fr. Tomás de Santa María O.P. (also Tomás de Sancta Maria) (ca. 1510 – 1570) was a Spanish music theorist, organist and composer of the Renaissance. He was born in Madrid but the date is highly uncertain; he died in Ribadavia. Little is ...

* Francisco de la Torre *

Juan de Triana Juan de Triana ( fl. 1460 – 1490, died 28 January 1494) was a Spanish composer of the Renaissance period, active in the second half of the 15th century during the reign of the Catholic Monarchs. Pope Sixtus IV issued a bull on 9 February 1478 tha ...

* Juan Vásquez * Tomás Luis de Victoria * Sebástian de Vivanco *

Luis de Narvaez Luis is a given name. It is the Spanish form of the originally Germanic name or . Other Iberian Romance languages have comparable forms: (with an accent mark on the i) in Portuguese and Galician, in Aragonese and Catalan, while is archaic ...

Science

Miguel Servet Michael Servetus (; es, Miguel Serveto as real name; french: Michel Servet; also known as ''Miguel Servet'', ''Miguel de Villanueva'', ''Revés'', or ''Michel de Villeneuve''; 29 September 1509 or 1511 – 27 October 1553) was a Spanish th ...

* School of Salamanca *

Jerónimo Muñoz Jerónimo (European Portuguese and Spanish) or Jerônimo (Brazilian Portuguese) may refer to: * Jerónimo (name), a given or surname, Jerome in English ** Jeronimo (singer) (born 1990), Dutch pop singer and actor * Jeronimo (band), German band of ...

* Fernán Pérez de Oliva

References

{{Authority control 16th century in Spain