Spain: A History in Art

by Bradley Smith, Juan de Contreras (introduction), Manuel Fernández Álvarez (introduction)

Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction to the Art of Spain
Introduction to the History of Spain
Prehistory
Ancient Spain
Moslem & Christian Spain
The Catholic Sovereigns
The New World Explored
Supremacy under the Hapsburgs
The House of Bourbon
Constitutional Government
The Works of Art
Bibliography

Genres: Art, History, Spain

296 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1964

Reviews

[Erik Graff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this basically because I wanted a break from all the straight history works I'd been studying and perhaps because one of my friends, John Elkin, was a former student of the Art Institute of Chicago. Nothing difficult. The pictures are beautiful.

[Snail in Danger (Sid) Nicolaides · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like "flipped through" ... saw this for $2 in a HPB and thought I'd take a look at it. The quality of the reproductions is not the best, but there are some medieval manuscript illustrations and frescoes that are not commonly reproduced. (Including some which are interesting illustrations of heraldic display and medieval underwear.) For the medieval Spanish re-enactor this might give you an idea of where to look further.

Didn't actually buy it because it would take up too much space when you consider how (in)frequently I would actually look at it.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although the color prints are a little too muddy, reviewing history thru the eyes of art is an enjoyable way to wander through Spain's great and complex history. From cave paintings to moorish art, from invasions to explorations.

[Alejandro Teruel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rather uneven book. The best chapters are probably those on Ancient Spain and Moslem and Christian Spain. It is also not clear just what the author aims at with a history in art. The author may be struggling to weave together two strands, a history of art in Spain and a political history of Spain, but the weave is coarse and not very successful, veering from a straightforward political and rather naive history of politics (emphasizing monarchies) with embedded works of art or reference to Spanish culture and a history of art in Spain with references to the political context in which they were made.

For the life and times of Goya, for example, I would strongly recommend skipping this book and reading Robert Hughes's masterful and detailed Goya. The twentieth century is very skimpily done.

At times the book is not objective and tends to up-play or gloss over over British and US involvement in Spanish history.

I found many of the reproductions quite muddy.

Interesting at times, dry at other times, I found this to be unsatisfactory as a history of art and simple-minded as a general history. Still I stand by a three star rating.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is a good book to look at in a doctor's office.