Visual culture in modern Spain 3305-KWNH-U
In the modern era, the image became a key tool for communication, shaping worldviews and demonstrating power. Within court culture, paintings, sculptures and architecture served as tools of political propaganda, building the image of rulers and the aristocracy. In the religious sphere, art was used to defend the dogmas of the faith and to effectively influence the emotions of the faithful. The aim of the course is to broaden students’ knowledge of Spanish monuments and works of art from the 16th to the 19th centuries, taking into account the social, political and religious context of their creation, as well as to develop skills in their analysis and interpretation based on the iconographic and iconological method.
The course covers Spanish painting and architecture from the 16th to the 19th century:
Court (portrait), mythological, historical and religious painting: the Valencian school: Juan de Juanes, Juan Ribalta, José de Ribera; El Greco; the Sevillian school: Diego Velázquez, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, Juan de Valdés Leal; Francisco de Zurbarán; Francisco Goya; foreign painters associated with the Habsburg court: Hieronymus Bosch, Titian, Peter Paul Rubens;
Palaces and royal residences: Palace of Charles V in Granada, El Escorial, Buen Retiro Palace, Royal Palace in Madrid, Aranjuez, La Granja de San Ildefonso.
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Term 2026Z:
In the modern era, the image became a key tool for communication, shaping worldviews and demonstrating power. Within court culture, paintings, sculptures and architecture served as tools of political propaganda, building the image of rulers and the aristocracy. In the religious sphere, art was used to defend the dogmas of the faith and to effectively influence the emotions of the faithful. The aim of the course is to broaden students’ knowledge of Spanish monuments and works of art from the 16th to the 19th centuries, taking into account the social, political and religious context of their creation, as well as to develop skills in their analysis and interpretation based on the iconographic and iconological method. The course covers Spanish painting and architecture from the 16th to the 19th century: |
Course coordinators
Type of course
Learning outcomes
Knowledge:
S1K_W01, S2K_W01 The student has a structured understanding of Spanish culture and art from the 16th to the 19th century.
S1K_W02, S2K_W02 The student understands the links between Iberian philology and cultural studies, history and art history.
S1K_W05, S2K_W05 The student has the basic knowledge necessary to analyse the historical and cultural processes taking place in Spain in the 16th–19th centuries.
S1K_W04, S2K_W04 S1K_W06, S2K_W06 The student has a basic understanding of the methodology of iconographic and iconological research
Skills:
S1K_U01, S2K_U01 The student is able to search for, analyse, evaluate, select and utilise information relating to the literature, culture and art of the Spanish Golden Age; the student is able to analyse and interpret phenomena in Spanish culture and art using established research methods, in order to determine their significance and place within the historical and cultural process
S1K_U03, S2K_U3 the student possesses basic research skills, including the formulation and analysis of research problems, the selection of research methods and tools, and the compilation and presentation of results in the field of Spanish culture and art
the student possesses the ability to argue substantively, drawing on the views of other authors and formulating conclusions the student possesses the ability to prepare written and oral work in Spanish in the field of Spanish culture and art
S1K_U06, S2K_U06 The student is able to communicate with specialists using various channels and communication techniques in Spanish in the field of Spanish culture and art
Social competences:
S1K_K01, S2K_K01 The student understands the need for lifelong learning; the student is able to set appropriate priorities to achieve their own goals
S1K_K02, S2K_K02 The student is aware of their responsibility to preserve Spain’s cultural heritage
S1K_K03, S2K_K03 The student is prepared to critically assess their own knowledge and skills and understands the need for continuous improvement and development
S1K_K04, S2K_K04 The student is prepared to actively participate in the culture of the region being studied, using various forms and media
Assessment criteria
Some of the course content is delivered through a lecture accompanied by slides and audiovisual materials, whilst other parts take the form of discussions based on selected readings, aimed at describing and analysing Spanish works of art. Group work.
The requirements for passing the course are regular attendance (two absences are permitted; if the permitted number of absences is exceeded, additional written assignments will be required), active participation, and the preparation of a project related to the course topics (50% of the note) as well as passing a written test (50% of the note).
The use of AI tools is permitted for the preparation of class assignments, but this must be described/cited. The student is responsible for the generated content. Where AI tools are used, the general guidelines of the University of Warsaw apply.
Bibliography
P. Burke, Fabrykacja Ludwika XIV, Warszawa: WUW, 2011.
J.A.Maravall, La cultura del barroco: análisis de una estructura histórica, Barcelona : Editorial Ariel, 1975.
J.A.Maravall, Velázquez y el espíritu de la modernidad, Madrid : Ediciones Guadarrama, 1960.
J.A.Maravall, Estudios de historia del pensamiento español. Siglo XVII, Madrid : Ediciones Cultura Hispanica, 1975.
J.Brown, Velázquez: painter and courtier, New Haven ; London : Yale University Press, 1986.
A.Domínguez Ortiz, El barroco, Madrid : Ministerio de Cultura, Dirección General de Difusión Cultural, 1978.
A.Domínguez Ortiz, The golden age of Spain 1516-1659, London : Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1971.
H.Kamen, The Escorial: art and power i the Renaissance, New Haven ; London : Yale University Press, cop. 2010.
J.H.Elliott, Imperial Spain 1469-1716, Harmondsworth : Penguin Books, 1972.
J.H.Elliott, Spain and its world 1500-1700, New Haven ; London : Yale Univ. Press, 1989.
A. Witko, Sewilskie malarstwo siedemnastego wieku: od wizji mistycznych do marwtych natur, Kraków-Kielce, 2013
A. Witko, W przedsionku niebios: sztuka w Hiszpanii doby El Greca, Kraków, 2015
P. Wright, „Goya”,Wrocław, 1994.
J. Ortega y Gasset, „Velázquez i Goya”, Warszawa, 1993.
S. Forty, Francisco de Goya, North Carolina: TJ, 2014.
R. Hughes, Goya: artysta i jego czas, Warszawa: WAB, 2006.
H. Gombrich, Symbolic images, London, Phaidon, 1985.
E. Panofsky, Studies in iconology: humanistic themes in the art of the Renaissance, New York: Harper Row, 1965.
J. Bialostocki, The message of images: studies in history of art, Vienna: Irsa, 1988.
J. Bialostocki, Symbole i obrazy w świecie sztuki, Warszawa: PWN, 1982.
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Term 2026Z:
P. Burke, Fabrykacja Ludwika XIV, Warszawa: WUW, 2011. |