Renaissance Sculpture in Spain

Posted on Oct 27, 2024 in Arts and Humanities

The Sculpture of the Renaissance in Spain

The Emergence of the Renaissance in Spain: Chronology and Historical Context

Spain maintained close relations with Italy due to the numerous campaigns waged by Ferdinand of Aragon, stemming from the Crown of Aragon’s dominion over Naples and Sicily. This continuous exchange of artists and materials between the Italian states and the Hispanic monarchy allowed the essence of the Renaissance to be assimilated by the end of the 15th century and spread throughout the 16th century.

The social landscape of Spain differed significantly from that of Italy during the Renaissance’s gestation period. While a revival of commercial activity and urban life marked the Italian context, in Spain at the dawn of the 16th century, this phenomenon was prominent only in Catalonia and Valencia. Furthermore, while the burgeoning bourgeoisie in Italy became key patrons of Renaissance artists, in Spain, the Church, the nobility, and the monarchy held the primary economic power.

The political circumstances of the time, marked by the achievement of national unity and the discovery of the New World in the late 15th century, positioned Spain as a kingdom with great prospects, further facilitating the penetration of the Renaissance. Consequently, the Renaissance in Spain developed under the patronage of the nobility, the Court, and the Church, who dictated the artistic needs of the time.

The Sculpture of the Spanish Renaissance

Renaissance sculpture arrived in Spain through Italian artists like Fancelli and Torrigiano, and through Spanish artists who traveled to Italy for training, such as Alonso Berruguete. Spanish Renaissance sculpture exhibits great originality due to its strong religious sentiment, echoing the Gothic tradition, and its emphasis on expressiveness. The use of materials is also distinctive: polychromed wood was widely used, applying a thin layer of gold leaf, then painting over it and scraping to reveal the gold. Tombs, altarpieces, choir stalls, and portraits continued to be produced.

Artistic Context of the 15th Century: Gothic and Flemish Influence in Spanish Sculpture

The classically designed, Italian-inspired Renaissance sculpture, focused on reviving classical forms and achieving formal beauty, was not readily or rapidly adopted in Spain. From the mid-15th century, Spain experienced a significant influx of Burgundian, Flemish, German, and Dutch artists, whose prolific output exerted a considerable influence on Hispanic sculpture.

Spanish artists were less interested in mythological themes or strict adherence to theoretical formulas for achieving formal beauty, a key aspect for Italian artists. Instead, they prioritized the expression of feelings and passions over purely aesthetic values. As a result, the Gothic tradition, heavily influenced by Flemish art, persisted throughout the 15th century in Spain, developing into the Hispano-Flemish style.

The First Third of the 16th Century: Italian Renaissance Influence

The introduction of the Italian Renaissance occurred through various channels: imported Italian pieces, particularly tombs; the arrival of Italian artists in Spain; and Spanish artists’ travels to Italy. These factors contributed to the adoption of the new aesthetic.

A) The Introduction of Renaissance Sculptural Forms

Pietro Torrigiano and Domenico Fancelli were the primary contributors to the introduction and dissemination of the Italian Renaissance in Spain.

  • Fancelli, of Florentine training and taste:
    • The Tomb of Prince Don Juan in Santo Tomás de Ávila: Made of Carrara marble, with finely carved decoration, it introduced the free-standing tomb type with sloping sides to Spain.
    • The Tombs of the Catholic Monarchs in the Royal Chapel of Granada: His masterpiece, a larger free-standing tomb with a horizontal bed for the reclining figures of the monarchs, sloping sides adorned with medallions and niches, original corner pillars, and four seated statues of the Church Fathers at the cornice ends.
  • Torrigiano, a contemporary of Michelangelo:
    • Penitent Saint Jerome: His masterpiece in Spain, a magnificent study in natural clay, demonstrating a profound knowledge of human anatomy.

Three additional artists, not of Italian origin, also played a significant role in disseminating the new aesthetic:

  • Damián Forment, from Valencia, with closer contact with Italy, known for his alabaster altarpieces:
    • The Altarpiece of the Cathedral of Huesca: The base is Italianate, with seven scenes of the Passion in high relief, but the rest, with the Crucifixion in the central section, remains faithful to the Gothic tradition.
  • Vasco de la Zarza, who produced sculptures in Castile, distant from Flemish models:
    • The Tomb of Alonso de Madrigal, el Tostado, in Ávila Cathedral: Its decoration, with a central tondo, entablature, etc., depicts the deceased alive, seated, reading, with attributes like his chair.
  • Felipe Bigarny, originally from Burgundy, a notable proponent of the new style:
    • The decoration of the retrochoir of Burgos Cathedral: With reliefs of the life of Christ, showing Burgundian influences but incorporating Italian decorative details.
    • The altarpiece of the Royal Chapel of Granada: A major work of the Spanish Renaissance, with simple Renaissance architectural lines framing large, realistic figures, such as the Beheading of John the Baptist, and naturalistic reliefs on the predella.

B) The Full Development of Renaissance Sculptural Forms

The fully developed Hispanic Renaissance sculpture began with Bartolomé Ordóñez and Diego de Siloé, both influenced by Michelangelo.

  • Bartolomé Ordóñez, likely trained in Fancelli’s workshop, known for his purity of style, primarily working in marble and alabaster, marginalizing the carved wood favored in Spain. His attraction to Italian art led him to travel to Italy and even move his workshop to Carrara:
    • The choir of Barcelona Cathedral: With reliefs depicting the life of Saint Eulalia, made of Carrara marble, clearly showing Michelangelo’s influence.
    • The Tombs of Juana la Loca and Philip the Fair: Continues the tomb type adopted by Fancelli, but with vertical sides instead of sloping ones, decorated with roundels, garlands, and shields, with the four evangelists at the corners.
  • Diego de Siloé, excelled as both architect and sculptor. Characterized by refined and classical forms, but not considered an innovative sculptor, his work combines Italian forms with Burgundian tradition:
    • Seated Saint John the Baptist from San Benito, Valladolid: His interpretation of Saint John is one of his finest creations, with bare head and windblown hair.
    • Holy Family, Valladolid Museum: Notable for its quality and beauty, the group formed by the Virgin, Saint Joseph, the Infant Saint John, and the Child is reminiscent of Italian”sacra conversazion”.

The Spanish Renaissance in the Second Third of the 16th Century: Mannerism and the Valladolid School

The full flowering of Spanish Renaissance sculpture arrived with the Valladolid School, particularly Alonso Berruguete and Juan de Juni.

  • Alonso Berruguete, the most representative artist of this phase. Son of the painter Pedro Berruguete, he received comprehensive artistic training, spending ten years in Italy, where he encountered the works of Donatello and Michelangelo. Despite this direct contact with Italian Renaissance sculpture, his work is not characterized by harmony and serenity, but by expressive and dramatic features, reflecting the atmosphere of the time in Spain, where the desire to connect the Renaissance spirit with spirituality and religion persisted throughout the 16th century. Berruguete channeled this search through elongated, polychromed sculptures with unstable postures, gestures, and expressions. He deliberately deviated from correct anatomical proportions, prioritizing his personal style over established Italian parameters. His most significant works include:
    • Altarpiece of San Benito, Valladolid Museum: The altarpiece included paintings, reliefs, and sculptures, such as the Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian and the Sacrifice of Isaac. Saint Sebastian is attached to a winding tree trunk that conforms to the figure, a clear example of Berruguete’s characteristic unsteady postures. The work also brilliantly depicts the anguish of martyrdom and displays a good study of the nude. In the Sacrifice of Isaac, the expressiveness and movement of Abraham and Isaac’s frightened attitude are noteworthy.
    • The Adoration of the Magi, Altarpiece of the Church of Santiago, Valladolid: Symmetrical composition and sense of movement.
    • The choir stalls of Toledo Cathedral: Here he plays with the characters’ gazes and the folds of their drapery to achieve movement and expression, along with a profound psychological study of human emotions.
  • Juan de Juni, of French origin but with primarily Italian training. His work reveals both his French roots and the influence of Michelangelo, yet these aspects did not hinder his integration into the Castilian school. He became an artist who effectively conveyed the religious fervor of his contemporaries. He is known for large, polychrome figures, full of drama and theatrical gestures, meticulously crafted, and compositions overflowing with figures, anticipating Mannerism.
    • The Entombment, Segovia Cathedral: A group of polychrome wood sculptures, full of pathos, depicting physical and spiritual pain through the faces and gestures of the figures, now in the Valladolid Museum of Sculpture. The composition is well-ordered, with Saint John and the Virgin in the center, flanked by two figures acting as parentheses, and Christ lying down.

The Spanish Renaissance Sculpture in the Last Third of the 16th Century

A new Italian influence emerged, a classicizing trend, reacting against the intense passion that had characterized Spanish Renaissance sculpture, moving away from traditional norms.

The artists who best represent this period are the bronze sculptors and sculptors in Philip II’s court, particularly at El Escorial, which became the leading artistic center at this time, such as Leone and Pompeo Leoni, who primarily created portraits of the royal family.

  • Leone Leoni, Italian Mannerist sculptor, commissioned by Emperor Charles V to create a series of portraits of the imperial family:
    • Charles V Subduing Fury: Gilded bronze, depicting the emperor in Roman armor, subduing an enemy, glorifying Charles V.
  • Pompeo Leoni, his son, summoned to Spain by Philip II to work at El Escorial:
    • Statues of Charles V and Philip II in the Church of El Escorial Monastery: Depicting them in prayer, accompanied by their wives.
  • Juan Bautista Monegro, also worked at El Escorial, creating works of sober grandeur, such as the Kings of Judah in the Courtyard, the Evangelists in the Chapter House, and the Saint Lawrence on the main facade of El Escorial.