PLAZA MAYOR DE SALAMANCA

The Mayor of Salamanca, Spain, square is built as an urban space square that with time has become the center of social life of the city. It was built in the period from 1729 to 1756 year, in Baroque style. The design is the architect Alberto Churriguera




The current aspect, as regards the pavement (gray granite tile with pink granite marks), made around 1953 with granite from quarries Carbellino. Until then he had a central garden with trees, flower beds and a bandstand in the center. He is outlining what a cobbled street.




The main square of Salamanca is not a perfect square (is an irregular quadrilateral) and none of its facades measures the same. Approximately, the City Hall measuring 82.60 m, the eastern facade (Royal Pavilion) 80.60 m, the west façade is 81.60 m and the side of San Martin measures 75.69 m. Making a rough calculation, the square has an area of about 6400 sqm excluding porches. In total, the square has 88 arches with medallions in which major characters are represented in their spandrels.




The Town never completed: missing two towers on the side wings, the architect (Andrés García de Quiñones) did not dare to build on the grounds that the work which should be supported not meet conditions to withstand the weight, but remains the model of 1745. the project of the towers was used by the author to conclude the towers of the Clergy.

  El rapto de Propersina                           

         

The Rape of Proserpina. It is a sculpture by Gian Lorenzo Bernini between 1621 and 1622 belonging, therefore, to Baroque.

In this century 17th was a very important crisis because the wars, plagues...For example the more important war in the century was the war of 30 years that was a Religious war between the catholics and the protestants. In this century kings Felipe III, Felipe IV and Charles II (minor austrias)is called minors because end the riches empire in Spain. In this century kings the validos that do the work of the king with the same power.




It was commissioned by Scipione Borghese, who gave it to Cardinal Ludovico Ludovisi in 1622, who took her to his villa. He remained there until 1908, when the Italian state acquired it and returned it to the Galleria Borghese.




As for the composition is a vertical line which three arms horizontally opposed, both of God and one of the young. Pluto hands sink into the smooth body of the young and meat yields under pressure. Eyebrow God is deformed under the thrust of the hand of the goddess. At the foot of the cerbero can estuatua, the monstrous animal that guards the gates of the kingdom of Pluto. It is one of the most naturalistic images of the history of sculpture.

La vocación de San Mateo.

Painting card:

Title/name: La vocación de San Mateo.
Author: Caravaggio.
Year: 1599-1600
Style: Italian Baroque.
Technique: Oil on canvas.
Location: Church of San Luigi of French, Rome.

General description: This is a work made from Caravagio in 1599-1600 using oil in canvas.

This paint was make for Caravagio, Caravaggio was an active italian painter in Rome, Naples, Malta and Sicily between 1593 and 1610. It is considered the first grat exponent of Baroque painting.

It was the first major work that Caravaggio made, not fo a private collector, for a public access church, where all Rome could see his work.
Caravaggio must make more complex scene in terms of meanings, setting, number of characters and moments of the action.

Therefore, compared to the paintings he had been done with one or two figures, The Calling of St Matthew present seven, to be organized coherently and in depth in an architectural space that can no longer be circumvented by the painter in a sort of neutral of neutral background lost in the dark.
However, Caravaggio did not give up at all its plastic resources, and again the light is what gives structure and sets the composition of the canvas. Thus, after the figure of Christ who just enter the tavern shines a powerful spotlight. The light has come into darknesswith Christ and risp the space diagonally to go look at the figure of Matthew surprised that backtracks and points to himself it is doubtful that he who seeks. The light beam reproduces the gesture of Christ, reaching masterfully scope and symbolism.

Cristo de la agonías o cristo yacente.

Sculpture card:

Title/name: Christ of the agonies.
Author: Gregorio Fernández.
Year: 1576-1636.
Style: Spanish Baroque.
Technique: polychomed wood.
Location: National Museum of Sculpture in Valladolid, Spain.
General descript: This is a piece of sculpture maked by Gregorio Fernández between 1576-1636 made to order from Duke fo Lerma.

This work was made by Gregorio Fernández, Gregorio was a Spanish Baroque sculptor, the greatest exponent of the Spanish school of sculpture. Heir to the expressiveness of Alonso Berruguete and Juan de Juni, knew bringing these influences classicism of Pompeyo Leoni and Juan de Arfe, so that his art was freed progessively from prevailing Mannerism in his time to become one of the the paradigms of the Spanish Baroque.

This sculpture, mainly religious, of which recumbent of Christ is a clear exmaple, meant a radical break with the nuance realism of Renaissance classicism, to focus on an extraordinarily heightened drama. Its main objetive will be to promote and enhance the religiosity of the faithful trought contemplation of martyrdom and death of Jesus, the Virgin pain, scenes of the life of saints, etc, all with a poignancy without limits.

One of the most important features that has this piece of sculpture is the pathosm showing us a sense of print depicting the pain of sculpture, in this case it is perceived very well since Christ has set eyes open that allows us to recognize that sesation.

Las meninas.

LAS MENINAS

Painting card

Name: Las meninas.

Author: Diego Velázquez.

Year: 1656.

Style: Baroque.

Technique: Oil on canvas

Location : Prado museum, Madrid.

General description: Las meninas is a painting from the spanish Diego Velázquez, it was created in 1656, the technique used is oil on canvas. It represent how the real maid servants (meninas), are serving Margarita María Teresa de Austria,daughter of Felipe IV and Mariana de Austria.

“Las meninas” was created by Diego de Velázquez and his style is baroque , a style that was given in europe between XVII century and a little of XVIII century. 

The baroque period was a period of decline for society, It was some wars, It had poor, but in the culture was a very important period, that predominated the realism and naturalism .
This painting have some curious things, for example we can see the painter Velázquez in the picture and also we can see a picture of Felipe IV and Mariana de Austria.
The technique used is oil on canvas with dimensions of 318 cm × 276 cm. The use of perspective is linear and the light are from front to back, this produce some darks behind, also it is claroscuro. The colours are cold colours and not with some variety. 

The compositions is pyramidal, from the people to the roof.
The function is political because represent the infanta and the meninas and it is historical because represent a real scene from baroque.
The figures are so realistic and naturalistic, typic from baroque.
This picture it one of the most important from baroque in spain and in all world, but it had other good baroque painters like Caravaggio or Rembrandt.


In my opinion, Velázquez was one of the most important baroque picture from baroque and it is normal because the realistic and the naturalistic that he putted in the paintings, it so awesome.

Cristo de la Clemencia

CRISTO DE LA CLEMENCIA

BASIC INFORMATION

Title: Cristo de la Clemencia
Author: Juan Martínez Montañés
Year: 1603-1604
Style: Baroque
Technique: Carved out of wood
Location: Cathedral of Seville
General description: It is a sculpture that it was created by Juan Martínez Montañés in 1603-1604. His style is Baroque and it was created with carved out of wood. It is in the Cathedral of Seville.

Cristo de la Clemencia is a sculpture of Juan Martínez Montañés. Montañés was an Spanish sculptor who worked between Renaissance and Baroque. Almost all his work is religious. The statues of Alonso Pérez de Guzmán and his wife Maria Alonso Coronel, made for the chapel of the monastery of San Isidoro del Campo in Santiponce. His works are: San Cristobal y el Niño, santo Domingo penitente, San Juan Bautista, Batalla de los Angeles....

The type of sculpture is free standing figure. The technique is carved out of wood. The light only focuses on the face of Cristo. It is religious because it represents Cristo and it is part of the Bible. The figure is realistic and naturalistic, express very well the emotions The sculpture represent Jesus in the cross with 4 nails (two in the hands and two in the feet). In the figure, I can see the representation of the bones and the blood. He has half-open eyes.

I think that the sculpture is beatiful because Montañés express very well the emotions.

La cena de Emaús

LA CENA DE EMAÚS

PAINTING CARD

Title: La Cena de Emaús
Autor: Caravaggio
Year: 1596-1602
Style: Italian Baroque
Technique: Oil on canvas
Location: National Gallery of Londres
General description: La Cena de Emaús is a painting of Caravaggio. It is a Italian Baroque and it was created in 1596-1602 in oil on canvas. It is in National Gallery of Londres.

La Cena de Emaús is a painting of Caravaggio. Caravaggio was an active Italian painter in Rome, Naples, Malta and Sicily between 1593-1610. It is considered the first great exponent of Baroque painting. It is Baroque. Some of his works are: La cena de Emaús, La vocacion de San Mateo, Baco, Jugadores de cartas, David con la cabeza de Goliat, Apolo tocando el laúd... and many more.

His technique is oil on canvas. He uses the tenebrism, it is a style of Baroque painting. It is characterized by the contrast of light and shadow through forced lighting. It has become common in the Spanish school or Spanish tenebris. It emerged in the 17th century as a result of the impact of caravaggismo in the tradition of using the technique of chiaroscuro already incorporated in the Spanish painting and used in the second half of the 16th century.
It is religious and it represents the two disciples of Jesucristo: Cleofás in the left and Santiago in the right, at the time of recognizing the risen Christ, who had come to dinner. The painting represents the moment that blesses the bread, an act that is part of the sacrament of the Eucharist.
The style is realistic.

I think that the painting is interesting because Caravaggio use the tenebrism and there is only light in the faces and he does the shadow on the wall.