España Blanca y Negra: Vision of Spain, from Fortuny to Picasso

The book accompanies the exhibition España Blanca y Negra: Vision of Spain, from Fortuny to Picasso at the Kadriorg Art Museum (13.04.–25.08.2024).

The exhibition and this book are dedicated to the depiction of Spain and includes romantic views of Spain, as well as masterpieces by the grand masters of Modernism. Buoyant and sunny, or dark and tragic, the “whiteness” and “blackness” of the quintessence of Spain are revealed through magnificent works of art.

Landscape painting achieved a special position in Spanish art at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. Artists could use landscapes to highlight the philosophical search for the meaning of life, the antagonism between the individual and society, the patriotic admiration and poetry of their country, and the desire for intimacy between man and nature in a world that was industrialising and becoming impersonal and machine-like. Artists used landscapes to emphasise their affinity to certain traditions, and to look for their own roots or the essence of their country in order to add veracity and depth to their creation.