Culture

Culture

Catalonia has made important contributions to practically all areas of culture - particularly the arts and humanities - and also in the area of scientific research. Its geographic location has facilitated the penetration of European arts and thinking to Spain, and its capital, Barcelona, has contributed actively to the development and diffusion of Catalan cultural and scientific knowledge.

Architecture
Throughout the centuries, most of the artistic styles that predominated in Europe were also developed and adapted in Catalonia. The imposing mediaeval cathedrals and monasteries in the Romanesque style, which predominated in Old Catalonia, gradually gave way to triumphant Gothic splendour in New Catalonia, most particularly in the cities, including Barcelona. Special mention should be made of the small Romanesque churches in the Pyrenees, which have left us a rich legacy in the form of alfresco paintings and tableaux, most now stored in the National Art Museum of Catalonia.

Throughout Catalonia there are also many interesting examples of Renaissance, Baroque and Neo-classical architecture. However, the most inspirational art movement in Catalonia was Modernism, dating from the period of economic and demographic expansion that occurred around the end of the 19th century. Considered the Catalan national art form, apart from architecture, it also broadly embraced the decorative arts. Antoni Gaudí (1852-1926) was the most outstanding of the Modernists and the artist who brought it international fame. His extraordinary personality, which pushed back the frontiers of the movement, is reflected in works as emblematic as the Sagrada Família, Parc Güell, Casa Milà (popularly known as 'the Quarry'), Casa Batlló, the crypt of the Colònia Güell church, etc. Other outstanding architects from this period include Domènech i Montaner (1850-1923), who was responsible for the Palau de la Música Catalana and the Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona, as also Puig i Cadafalch (1867-1957), Josep M. Jujol, Cèsar Martinell and Lluís Muncunill.

During the 1920s, architectural rationalism flourished, largely as a consequence of the GATPAC group, which was composed of figures of the stature of Josep Lluís Sert, Torres Clavé, Churruca, etc. This architectural tradition has flourished in modern times in town planners and architects such as Josep A. Coderch, the Bohigas-Martorell-Mackay team, Ricard Bofill, etc. More recently, Barcelona's refurbishment as an Olympic city (1992) has acted as an important springboard for its architectural reputation.

Opera
The operatic tradition of the Gran Teatre del Liceu has secured Barcelona a major place in the world of opera. This sumptuous building was erected in 1847 in the heart of Barcelona by a consortium of middle-class Catalans. It was (and still is) predominantly an opera house, originally staging Italian (bel canto, Verdi) and French opera, and subsequently works by Wagner. In the twentieth century, contemporary and avant-garde works, and Baroque pieces, gradually came to complement the traditional repertoire. The Liceu has played a central role in bringing to public notice great Catalan voices such as Francesc Vinyas, Maria Barrientos, Conxita Supervía, Victoria de los Ángeles, Montserrat Caballé, Jaume Aragall and Josep Carreras. Closely linked to the history of Barcelona, it has been the target of an anarchist's bomb (1893) and has witnessed two disastrous fires (1861 and 1994). After reconstruction in 1999, it passed into public ownership.

Music
Catalonia has a vocal and instrumental tradition which stretches back to the mediaeval anthology known as the Red Book of Montserrat, and which includes composers of the stature of Joan Brudieu, Antoni Soler, Ferran Sors and, in more recent times, Enric Morera, Enric Granados, Isaac Albéniz and Robert Gerhard, to mention only the best-known figures. Outstanding Catalan instrumentalists have included the violoncellist Pau Casals (a fervent opponent of Franco's regime and a renowned pacifist), pianists such as Ricard Vinyes and Alícia de Larrocha, and the viola da gambist and musicologist Jordi Savall, among many others.

In the area of popular music, worthy of mention are Pep Ventura and Juli Garreta, composers of music for sardanes (the Catalan national dance), and a major choral tradition that includes the choralist Anselm Clavé and prestigious institutions such as the Orfeó Català. More recently, popular interest in a wide range of musical genres has produced artists such as Tete Montoliu and Jordi Rossy (jazz); Raimon, Joan Manuel Serrat, Lluís Llach and Maria del Mar Bonet (singer-songwriters); Peret (the leading exponent of Catalan rumba); Carmen Amaya, Maite Martín, Duquende and Poveda (flamenco); pop and rock bands such as El Último de la Fila, Els Pets and Sopa de Cabra; and composers such as Pau Riba and Jaume Sisa, amongst many others.

Painting and sculpture
Many practitioners of the fine arts have been associated with Catalonia. The 20th century, in particular, produced many works and artists of international renown. Picasso (1881-1973) spent an early period of his life in Catalonia, where he became immersed in Modernism and with which he was closely linked. He left a magnificent testimonial in the form of early works, now largely housed in the Museu Picasso in Barcelona. Joan Miró (1893-1983) achieved world fame through his association with Surrealism in Paris. He later developed a less figurative style of painting, possessed of an extraordinary force and poetry and with its own universe of signs - woman, star, bird, etc. Miró also created ceramics (with Josep Llorens Artigas) and sculptures, and designed stages and tapestries. Much of his work is on display in the Fundació Joan Miró in Barcelona (1975), a building designed by his friend, the architect Josep Lluís Sert. Another world-famous name is that of Salvador Dalí (1904-1989). A leading figure in the Surrealist movement, Dalí was an avant-garde iconoclast, with an impeccable artistic technique. The landscape of the Empordà region, where he lived most of his life, suffuses his work. He founded the Teatre-Museu Dalí (1968) in his native Figueres. His house at Portlligat and the Castle of Púbol, which he restored and gave to his wife and muse Gala, are now open to the public.

Another figure who achieved international recognition from the 1950s onwards is the influential informalist painter Antoni Tàpies. An art foundation in Barcelona now bears his name.

Design
Modernism gave a strong impetus to the decorative arts - primarily in furniture, ceramics and wrought-iron. The designs were frequently created by the architects of buildings themselves, as was the case with Gaudí and Domènech i Montaner. A modern design tradition has taken firm root in Catalonia, particularly since the 1960s. Barcelona is now an important landmark for industrial design, with institutions such as Foment de les Arts Decoratives, which awards the prestigious ADI-FAD prizes, and Barcelona Centre Disseny, not to mention specialist design schools (Elisava, Eina, Massana). Outstanding figures in this field include André Ricard, Miquel Milà, Josep A. Coderch, Oscar Tusquets and Xavier Mariscal, amongst others.

Click below for further information on culture in Catalonia:

Performance arts. cultura.gencat.net/esceniques/index.htm

Visual arts.cultura.gencat.net/visuals/index.htm

Archives. cultura.gencat.net/arxius/index.htm

Libraries. cultura.gencat.net/biblio/index.htm

Creativity and ideas. cultura.gencat.net/creacio/index.htm

Popular culture. www20.gencat.cat/portal/site/CulturaDepartament/menuitem.ab389f3014923b227db2b8f6b0c0e1a0/
?vgnextoid=d8340e5f016da010VgnVCM1000000b0c1e0aRCRD&vgnextchannel=d8340e5f016da010V
gnVCM1000000 b0c1e0aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default

Cultural enterprises. cultura.gencat.net/icic/index.htm

Literature and books.cultura.gencat.net/literatura/index.htm

Music. cultura.gencat.net/musica/index.htm

Monuments. cultura.gencat.net/invarquit/index.htm

 

Further information from:

Palau Robert www.gencat.cat/probert/ 

Institut Ramon Llull www.llull.com/llull/

Cultura Barcelona w3.bcn.es/V01/Home/V01HomeLinkPl/0,2460,7610_52378_1,00.html

Cultura Tarragona www.tarragona.cat/cultura/

Cultura Lleida www.paeria.es/cas/lleidaCultural.asp

Cultura Gironawww.ajuntament.gi/web/index.php?id=97

Institut Municipal d'Acció Cultural de l'Ajuntament de Vic imacvic.ajvic.net/home.htm

 

Updated May 2007