Španělské umění od Altamiry po Picassa

This book offers a concise overview of the artistic culture in the Iberian Peninsula from prehistoric times through the works of the founder of modern European art, Pablo Picasso. The intended audience for the book ranges from students in the humanities (art history, Hispanic studies, history or anthropology) to those interested in the broadly conceived cultural history of Western Europe from the Mediterranean region to the Atlantic Ocean.
The text explains the origin of individual artefacts in a detailed historical and cultural context. It emphasizes universal values and occasionally regional characteristics including sacred and profane symbolism (Cristian and Muslim) in the framework of the respective styles. The primary focus of the book is on the extraordinarily rich “Golden Age” of the 16th and 17th centuries.
The book is divided into eleven chapters dealing with pivotal works of architecture, sculpture, painting, and decorative arts. The analysis of form and content and the interpretation of specific works contemplates the intersections of different cultural tendencies and linkages between individual artists and multi-faceted tradition as it was conceived and revived.