Art and power through portrait
Portrait is one of the most attractive examples for representing power at a given time. Since ancient times, this image of authority was reflected in coins, sculptures, and sarcophagi. However, from the Middle Ages religion played a fundamental role in the portrait when the life of Christ or the Virgin was represented.
However, in this course we will focus on power portraits from the Renaissance, when monarchs, bourgeois and other powerful characters were painted by the most important artists of the time. Thus, for example, the chamber painter oversaw the portraits of the Court, and reflected through the colours and composition, a whole symbolism around the portrayed.
Thus, we will approach the history of the portrait of the Hispanic Monarchy since the end of the 15th century with representations of kings and the influence of Italian artists (Titian, Michelangelo, Leonardo, Botticelli). Afterwards, we will see how the image of the rulers and their successors reflect the wealth through the jewels and dresses during the centuries of the Baroque. And we will end with contemporary period paintings through Goya’s neoclassical canvases, and styles, surrealist for Dalí and cubist for Picasso.
- Profesor: Marinas Cristina