Apuntes y temas para mis obras (Notes and themes for my work)
Mary Flagler Cary Music Collection, 1985
GOYA INSPIRES GRANADOS
In this small notebook, Granados sketched ideas for his musical works: Los Ovillejos (a one-act zarzuela that was left incomplete), the Tonadillas, and his piano suite Goyescas (which borrowed ideas originally planned for Los Ovillejos). The notebook is open to a drawing, reminiscent of the works of Goya, entitled El coloquio en la reja (Dialogue at the Window), which became the title of the second number in Goyescas. On the facing page is a sketch for the tonadilla (short, satirical solo song) El mirar de la maja.
From the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries, Spain witnessed the rise of the Catholic Church along with the flourishing of court artists who explored deeply spiritual visions. Concurrently, the nightmare of the Inquisition drove artists to probe the darker side of human nature through scenes of martyrdom and torture. Drawing played a central role in their conception of these diverse subjects—from Murillo's preparatory studies for painting commissions to Goya's private albums satirizing contemporary society. In addition to this rich tradition in Spain, Spanish artists also worked abroad, notably in Naples, which was a Spanish territory.
Visions and Nightmares marks the first exhibition of Spanish drawings at the Morgan, whose holdings in this area are small but significant. Showcasing over twenty sheets by Spanish artists spanning four centuries, this selection traces the shifting roles and attitudes toward the art of drawing in Spain.
This online exhibition was created in conjunction with the exhibition Visions and Nightmares: Four Centuries of Spanish Drawings, on view January 17 through May 11, 2014 and organized by Edward Payne, Moore Curatorial Fellow.
This exhibition is made possible by the A. Woodner Fund.