It's always apparent when a city comes in to its own. For Madrid the ruling classes really began pouring money into the city in the Baroque period. The buildings, the planning, the feel of the city is all about that overflown graciousness. Wide city streets, ornate easy architecture and it feels as if one is always parading against the twin backdrops of architecture and garden. Very different than home - NYC - where its about getting somewhere and making money - no lolling about please. Madrid even though busy with cars and movement feels at ease. Beginnning with Prince Phillip and moving forward the collection of the Prado paintings is one of the most amazing things you'll ever see. The big guns are mostly from the Baroque and all the stars are represented. The court must have been throwing money around with impugnity and ambitious homegrown painters were set to define the rising powerful Spanish experience.
Though - like most courts - they weren't afraid to import the goods. Rubens (one of my favorites and not Spanish,) both artist and diplomat, has a number of gorgeous paintings represented. Big buttocks, bouncing breasts and randy dudes in really catchy outfits let us know that this was a manly, sweaty court - with interesting facial hair and bunches of padded clothing. Lots of hunters are portrayed by all - some mythological and some royal - standing about armed to the teeth and ready for action or better yet caught in act. It was that sense of power-macho that flowed through Spanish imperialism and colonialism and it is represented in the King's choices of works. Even the supreme Velazquez was not immune - he depicts himself wearing the cross of a knighted upperclassman in Las Meninas. He even keeps his pallette low slung on his left hip while dipping his brush - like he's pulling out his sword for a quick Coup de main.
The sort of anti-macho macho in a declining empire was expressed by Goya - who began his painting life in the court and wound up not a happy man in the least. I don't know enough about Goya, his work is too charicatured for my complete devotion, but he's consistent, angry and fed up with the ruling classes - a truly modern man! There are hints of his political distaste in the drawing room paintings upstairs - satyrical bits of spicy hot stuff folded into mushy rococco sensibilities. The later black paintings are just nasty - and they leave you with a palpable feeling of disgust and resigned anger. Our closest political painterly profit was Guston who must have felt an affinity for this artist - Jake and Dinos are just POMO posers after the fact - in fact - most of the political art of the 90s lacked any grit whatsoever - excuse my editorializing.
More to come...
