ROCOCO AND CHURRIGUERESQUE IN SPAIN

I have written 9 articles on the Rococo mainly centred on the flowing South German version and its wide influence in Central and Eastern Europe. Rococo was an evolution of Baroque and there are of course tremendous Baroque buildings too in France, Italy and Spain. Habsburg and then Bourbon Spain was not culturally close to the rest of Europe at the end of the 17th and in the early 18^th century and her transition from Baroque was in her own characteristic style and it is known by the names of Rococo, Late Baroque and Churrigueresque, all of which to some degree overlap. The exuberant Spanish style was monumental, elaborately decorative and instantly recognisable.

Facade of Cathedral of Santiago de Compostella

The first Spanish protagonist of this style was José Benito de Churriguera (1665-1725) who worked mainly in Madrid and Salamanca and his style absorbed some Moorish influences. Grand porticos and entrances are a common thread, typical examples being the imposing façade of the pilgrimage Cathedral of Santiago de Compostella and The Old Hospice in Madrid.

The Old Hospice, Madrid

   

The geometric asymetry of German Rococo is not so evident but there is twisting foliage and intricate, often stucco, decoration in abundance – some may say over-abundance. But the detail can be very elegant as in the entry hall to Our Lady of Solitude at Nules, Valencia.

Entry Hall floor at Our Lady of Solitude, Nules

                     

                                           

Elaborate Doorway in Valencia

A later fine Spanish Rococo architect was Ventura Rodríguez (1717-85) whose masterpiece was his remodelling of the Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar at Zaragoza, a many times rebuilt church, and a place of devout reverence for Spanish Catholics.

Our Lady of the Pillar, Zaragoza, by the Ebro. (from Williton)

Many other Spanish buildings thrill the visitor, the Cathedral of Murcia in South East Spain or The Palace of the Marquis of Dos Aguas in Valencia. In this period the reach of Spanish architecture was long, and was not confined to Iberia. The Spanish Netherlands, now mainly Belgium, were graced by many spectacular buildings like glorious St Michael, Louvain. The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was also a Spanish fiefdom and at Lecce, right on the heel of Italy in Puglia stands an astonishing collection of buildings in so-called Lecce Baroque including the ravishing Santa Croce, mainly by Rococo master Giuseppe Zimbalo (1620-1710).  I last visited in 1993 and for the student of Rococo, Lecce is a wholly unexpected joy.

Santa Croce, Lecce

Even further afield, Spanish Latin America took its lead from its colonial master. Fine cathedrals were erected in Lima, Peru and in Mexico including the spectacular Cathedral of Zacatecas, in colonial times made wealthy by nearby silver mines. The Cathedral, built 1729-45, is in pink sandstone and is a prime example of Mexican Churrigueresque.

The Cathedral of Zacatecas, Mexico

In time, Spain lost her empire, her wealth and she was torn by continental and civil wars. Her architectural legacy survived and there was a revival of interest in Spanish colonial architecture in the US after a 1915 Exhibition. A relic of this is the playful pastiche Casa del Prado at Balboa Gardens, San Diego, CA, evoking much of the spirit of the flamboyant Spanish Rococo Style.

Casa del Prado, Balbao, San Diego

         

SMD

5.02.15. 

Text Copyright © Sidney Donald 2015