The Spanish Period was during the 16th century and was a fusion of Christian Spain with Moorish Art. The final expulsion of the moors in 1607 led to a great loss to the handicrafts and commerce of southern Spain. Much of the design of this time was influenced by the Moorish, Early Christian, Medieval, and Italian Renaissance. The Italian Renaissance influenced not only the Spanish, but the French as well.
The Moors were from Africa and included some of the world's finest geometricians. They were also supreme ornamentalists and incorporated colorful, exuberant, and fancy pieces in their designs. Many of them were also expert wood workers. Then there were the Mudejars who were Moors that converted to Christianity and became part of the Spanish Christian Groups.
One of the biggest achievements of Moorish architecture and decoration was the Alhambra, located in Granada, Spain. It was built in 1354 and the last of the Spanish palaces completed before the expulsion of the Moors. Even though the exterior was plain, it had numerous courtyards with gardens, fountains, and reflecting pools.
There are more castles in Spain than any other European country and La Mota Castle was one of these castles. It was built in the 15th century located in a town named Medina del Campo. The castle was built by noble Christian families. This structure was built of concrete walls faced with brick.
The Granada Cathedral was a a traditional five aisle building with Gothic vaulting and columns. The Cathedral of Seville is located in Andalusia Spain. It was the largest cathedral of the 15th century. To put things into perspective, it was larger than the Haggia Sophia. This structure demonstrated the cities wealth and held over 500 daily masses.
The Plateresco phase was Gothic or Renaissance in it's construction. This was a phase of minute and delicate ornaments that resembled the work of a silver smith. It was used on exteriors, patios, chures, public buildings, furniture, and accessories. There was also a Desornamentado Phase which was unornamented designs. Its powerful style was characterized by austerity. It also exhibited carefully defined proportions and was applied to courts, ecclesiastical and public buildings.
The Escorial was started by Phillip II in 1562 and completed by Juan de Herrera. It was an imitation of the Temple of Solomon and included a palace and a religious house. Not only was it a royal place for monarchy, but it was also known for its simplicity, sobriety, and plainness.
Herrera Architecture was named after the state architect, Juan de Herrera. It was influenced by Italian Renaissance Architects such as Palladio. This architecture was made up of many classic forms, plain surfaces, and sparse decorations. There were impressive horizontal unified compositions and a nude use of granite.
The Baroque style of churrugueresco replaced the desornamentado with something more passionate. It was promoted by a family of craftsmen named Churriguera and was composed of sculptures, wood carvers, and architects. The Churrigueresco style of surface decoration was applied to exterior doorways, interior decorations and churches. The motifs were natural objects and the classical orders were used in unconventional ways.
Residential design for this period was influenced by Moorish design. Numerous modest rural houses were built, yet the decorations in patios, galleries, doorways, and windows were elaborate in contrast to the plain walls. The most artistic features were the iron grilles on windows and openings. One can also associate colored tiles and painted and carved ceilings for the interiors of this time.
Some of the characteristics of Spanish furniture include simplicity and boldness, heavy proportions, rectangular shapes, repetitive panels that created a pattern, walnut wood, and silver used for ornamentation. Most of the furniture was made of walnut and pushed up against the walls. There was a limited number of pieces including chairs, stools, benches, tables, chests, beds, cupboards, and varguenos.
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