Spanish Art and Architecture

The Gothic style of architecture arrived in Spain around 1300 through French monastic orders. Famous examples include the monastery of La Oliva and the cathedrals of Burgos, Toledo, and León. The latter is also greatly admired for its exquisite stained glass.

Once the Muslims were driven out of Spain, some Moorish architects stayed and developed a new style which blended traditional Islamic architecture with Romanesque and Gothic elements, known as the Mudejar architectural style, which developed mainly in the south. This Islamic remnant remained a pervasive element in Spanish architecture until well into the 18th Century. In painting and sculpture, Italian and French influence was again the most prominent influence, with certain streaks of German and Flemish elements in the 15th and 16th Centuries.

In the 13th and 14th Centuries painting took on the elegant and courtly style typical of French artists and Italian features were also strong especially in Catalonia. Master painters such as Ferrer Bassa and Luis Borassá created very strongly unique and original works of art. Later, trade with the German states and the Netherlands prompted the creation of a new Hispano-Flemish style which is seen clearly in paintings by Jaume Huguet and Bartolomé Bermejo.

Sculpture focused mainly on religious and royal monuments in churches, such as the altar fronts and choir stalls which Gil de Siloe is famous for and which can still be seen in the church of Miraflores, located in the vicinity of Burgos. You'll be able to enjoy some of the era's most exquisite works of art while participating in a Spanish Language Course in Spain.