Spanish Art: El Greco to Goya

Spanish art flourished in its prime under two patrons, the Church and the royal court. In El Greco's day Spain was a country inflamed by the Counter-Reformation and the teachings of the Jesuits. El Greco presented religious subjects as visions, conveying a spirit of passionate nervous energy. Velázquez sought inspiration in the world of common everyday experience. A brilliant portrait painter, his interest was in people and human incident. He celebrated man's physical reality. Goya is the natural heir to Velázquez in his power to observe and record people as they really are, but he also brings to his observation a new brand of awareness, revealing the inner psychology of the people he painted. Two threads seem to run through more than 250 years of Spanish painting: a sense of drama, and a trust in realism. In the context of European painting as a whole, Spanish art is unswervingly candid. Paintings by Zurbarán, Giordano and Murillo are also featured.

Part of the series

The National Gallery - A Private View