Spanish Style Christmas Kitsch I first encountered the OTT Spanish nativity at a Christmas feast hosted by my uncle-in-law. Tío Mariano is famed for stuffing his guests with enough fine wine, top shelf jamón, and truffles to bring on a deep and lasting food coma. I wound up stupefied however, the moment I walked through …
It’s 11 pm and all is clear The call of the sereno or nightwatchman was a sound that was a familiar part of the acoustic patina of Spain’s city streets for more than 200 years: “Son las once y sereno” (It’s 11 pm and all is clear). For most, this was a reassuring sound informing …
Caught on canvas or let off the hook? Portraiture is a tricky business. An artist has to balance capturing the true likeness of the subject with flattering their ego. If said subject is a nasty piece of work, the job just gets even trickier. This post features three portraits of Spain’s most notoriously nefarious rogues, …
Caught on Canvas: a Rogues’ Gallery of Spanish Rulers Read More »
The Allegory of the Town of Madrid is not one of Goya‘s best paintings. Classical in style, there’s little to hint at the innovative verve of his later Black Paintings, nor any reflection of the tenderness of his earlier portraits of working-class Madrileños. But, if you know a little bit about its history, this canvas …
Dominating Cibeles, the Banco de España, with its imposing wrought iron doorways and gorgeous masonry, is one of Madrid’s most impressive buildings. But, being home to the country’s huge gold reserves, visits inside are strictly supervised and incredibly scarce. For most of us mere mortals, the only opportunity to penetrate this behemoth comes once a …
While Madrid lacks the architectural flamboyancy of Barcelona, or the long history of cities like Cordoba or Granada, the capital does have its own distinctive style. A certain something that suddenly strikes you when you turn a corner on a street lit up by the setting sun. While it’s impossible to sum up exactly what …
Shaping the skyline¨: Madrid’s most notable architects Read More »
Grandson to Spain’s most awesome king Charles III, Ferdinand VII, was without a shadow of a doubt Spain’s worst ever king. While his subjects suffered terribly, this slug of a man managed to slither unscathed in and out of Napoleon’s conquest of Spain agreeing to whatever was asked of him in exchange for a gilded …
If you take a wander down to Plaza de la Cebada and peer through the portholes that line the walls surrounding the square, you’ll often see the citizens of Madrid enjoying themselves at one fiesta or another. These days the public space is a regular venue for drinking, dancing and general merrymaking, but rewind a …
Not rolling over without a protest On May 2 1808 the last remaining members of Spain’s royal family were getting ready to be shipped off to France. Fearing perhaps that if they didn’t keep on Napoleon’s good side they’d wind up (just as their French cousins had) with their severed heads rolling around an executioner’s …
Dos de Mayo: an Uprising Fought by Ordinary Madrileños Read More »
Community collective Anyone wandering through the chilly graffiti-splattered corridors of Tabacalera would be forgiven for thinking that the former tobacco factory has been abandoned by the powers that be. Rundown, raucous, and rough around the edges, the space feels more like a Berlin squat than a state-owned community centre. This is mostly down to bad management …
