Saint Lucia: Early Christian Martyr or Valencian Fashion Model?

In the Fine Arts Museum of Valencia you will find this magnificent representation of one of the most interesting virgin saints of the biblical world.

This Lucía de Siracusa, however, is a jewel of the Valencian Renaissance and shows all her devotion in a wonderfully embroidered silk mantle.

Article by Karla Ingleton Darocas (KarlaDarocas.com)

JUAN DE RIBERA * ARCHITECT OF EVICTION

Juan de Ribera (b1532-d1611) was the Archbishop and Viceroy of Valencia.

He used all his civil and religious power to pressure Philip III to expel the Moors, which was accomplished in 1609.

Ribera despised the Moriscos as heretics and traitors, a dislike he shared with much of the Christian population of Valencia. Let's take a Look... 

* Report by Karla Ingleton Darocas, Hons. B.A. (KarlaDarocas.com)

PONDER PROVINCIAL PRIDE FROM MEDIEVAL TO MODERN IN MURLA

Lovers of fortresses and architecture will enjoy a trip to the mountains of Marina Alta for a close-up look at a proudly preserved parish church that bears witness to a precarious mediaeval past. Documents show that this castle/fortress became a Christian parish church in 1317.

The architectural structures of Murla range from mediaeval to modern and the historical past of the place is marked by cultural and structural grievances. All this makes Murla a very interesting place to visit. Let us take a look...

* Report by Karla Ingleton Darocas, Hons. B.A. (KarlaDarocas.com) (C) no part of this text or photos may be replicated)

SOROLLA FANS * A SPECIAL CENTENARY CELEBRATION

Fifty extraordinary original works by Sorolla, many of them masterpieces, from one of Spain's most important private collections, the María Cristina Masaveu Peterson Foundation, descendants of a powerful industrial family, will be exhibited at the Museum of Fine Arts in Valencia from 29 June to 1 October 2023 to celebrate the centenary of his death.

* Report by Karla Ingleton Darocas, Hons. B.A. (KarlaDarocas.com)

BEAUTIFUL BAROQUE MASTERPIECE SHOWS OFF ITS ARTISTIC PECULIARITY IN PEDREGUER

In Pedreguer is the parish church of the Holy Cross (Iglesia de la Santa Cruz). It took me several months to get into this church, as I always went in at the wrong times. It is a popular church and not a tourist attraction, so you have to go when it is open for the congregation to enjoy their midday mass. I have found that Sunday at 11:30 am is the best time to get into this historic work of artistic architectural brilliance.

When I arrived, a well-dressed elderly lady took me by the hand and asked me about my interest in "her" church. I explained that I was an art historian and a teacher, whereupon she welcomed me and explained that "her" church was "very important".

I agreed and began my search for the artistic secret that makes this church so famous! 

Let's take a look...

* Report by Karla Ingleton Darocas, Hons. B.A. (KarlaDarocas.com) (C) no part of this text or photos may be replicated)

HIGHLY DECORATIVE VALENCIAN GOTHIC ALTARS

ALTARPIECE OF THE SACRAMENTS by Gherardo Starnina
(Fine Arts Museum, Valencia)

The International Gothic aesthetic became a highly decorative and recognisable style that dominated Europe in the late 14th and early 15th centuries.

* Report by Karla Ingleton Darocas, Hons. B.A. (KarlaDarocas.com)

WHO WAS ANDRÉ LAMBERT WITHIN THE HISTORY OF JÁVEA ARTS?

Many of you who have walked around Jávea on my Historical Jávea Walk will have passed a palace called Casa Lambert, preserved by the family of the French-Swiss painter André Lambert as an art school and exhibition space for community artists.

Who was Lambert, and why was he so involved in the cultural life of Jávea?

* Report by Karla Ingleton Darocas, Hons. B.A. (KarlaDarocas.com)

THE ARCHITECTURAL AND SPIRITUAL GROWTH OF MEDIEVAL XÀBIA

In the past, settlers from many different cultures have inhabited and enjoyed this exclusive place. The name could very well come from the Arabic "Xibìa", meaning "abundant".

Xàbia or Jávea is a Valencian coastal town in the Marina Alta region (Alicante). It has always been a privileged and strategic place on the Mediterranean, attracting ancient Greeks, Romans, Arabs and Christians.

* Report by Karla Ingleton Darocas, Hons. B.A. (KarlaDarocas.com)

VALENCIAN BAROQUE MASTERWORK BOASTS GREATEST FRESCO ART IN SPAIN

The parish church of San Nicolás de Bari and San Pedro Mártir in Valencia houses one of the greatest wonders of fresco painting that Spain has to offer. This historic parish church is located in the city centre and thanks to an extensive restoration in 2016, this place of worship is now a tourist and cultural showcase known as "The Sistine Chapel of Valencia".

This designation is not entirely logical, since San Nicolás is a single-nave church with six sections, twelve side chapels with buttresses (two of which are occupied by side entrance doors) and a magnificent polygonal presbytery facing east. The Sistine Chapel, on the other hand, is only one "chapel" in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the Pope (Vatican City).

In any case, one statement is true: San Nicolás is indeed one of the best examples of the juxtaposition of 15th century Valencian Gothic architecture and a spectacular 17th century Valencian Baroque masterpiece. Let's take a look...

* Report by Karla Ingleton Darocas, Hons. B.A. (SpainLifestyle.com) (C) no part of this text or photos may be replicated)

Velázquez, Politics, and "Los Borrachos

Diego Velázquez (1599–1660), a master of the Spanish Baroque and key inspiration to the Impressionists, cemented his status as court painter to King Felipe IV after winning a prestigious 1627 competition against older rivals. 

Painted in 1629, Los Borrachos (The Drunks) stands as his first major mythological work, skillfully blending the youthful, luminous figure of Bacchus with the gritty, picaresque realism of common men in a style that influenced later masterpieces. 

This Baroque scene, housed in the Prado Museum, blends moral commentary with humor, reflecting the influence of Rubens and the naturalism found in Cervantes' Don Quixote. For a detailed analysis of this artistic period, read more in this report by Karla Ingleton Darocas for SpainLifestyle.com.

(c)  KarlaDarocas.com 

GRAND SCALE CHURCH BRINGS CLASSICAL BEAUTY AND HISTORICAL LEGACY TO OLIVA

FRONT and BACK

Oliva is a pretty and lively town on the outskirts of the province of Valencia in the region of Safor, which has a very beautiful, stylish and colossal neoclassical church in its centre.

The parish church of Santa María la Mayor represents the historical, cultural and spiritual development of the Valencia region in its architecture. Let's take a look...

* Report by Karla Ingleton Darocas, Hons. B.A. (SpainLifestyle.com) (C)  (KarlaDarocas.com) no part of this text or photos may be replicated) 

A ROMANTIC ETCHING OF JAVEA

I saw this etching of the fortress church of San Bartolomé on Facebook and no one was talking about it, so I grabbed it. At first, I thought it belonged to the Parisian artist Andre Lambert, who settled in Jávea around 1920 and made his paradise on the Costa Blanca a meeting place for international figures from the world of art and culture. His ashes have been part of the Portichol pine forests since his death in 1967 

I looked at his etchings again, but this one did not belong to him. So after a lot of research on Google, I do not know who it belongs to.

** Report by Karla Ingleton Darocas  (KarlaDarocas.com)