Book description
Squeezed between more powerful France and Spain, Catalonia has endured
a violent history. Its medieval empire that conquered Naples, Sicily and
Athens was crushed by Spain. Its geography, with the Pyrenees falling
sharply to the rugged Costa Brava, is tormented, too. Michael Eaude
traces this history and its monuments: Roman Tarragona, celebrated by
the poet Martial; Greek Empuries, lost for centuries beneath the sands;
medieval Romanesque architecture in the Vall de Boi churches (a World
Heritage Site) and Poblet and Santes Creus monasteries. He tells the
stories of several of Catalonia s great figures: Abbot Oliva, who
brought Moorish learning to Europe, the ruthless mercenary, Roger de
Flor, and Verdaguer, handsome poet-priest. Catalonia is famous today for
its twentieth-century art. This book focuses on the revolutionary Art
Nouveau buildings (including the Sagrada Familia) of Antoni Gaudi. It
also explores the region s artistic legacy: the young Picasso painting
Barcelona s vibrant slums; Salvador Dali, inspired by the twisted rocks
of Cap de Creus to paint his landscapes of the human mind; and Joan
Miro, discovering the colours of the red earth at Montroig. Squeezed
between more powerful France and Spain, Catalonia has endured a violent
history. Its medieval empire that conquered Naples, Sicily and Athens
was crushed by Spain. Its geography, with the Pyrenees falling sharply
to the rugged Costa Brava, is tormented, too. Michael Eaude traces this
history and its monuments: Roman Tarragona, celebrated by the poet
Martial; Greek Empuries, lost for centuries beneath the sands; medieval
Romanesque architecture in the Vall de Boi churches (a World Heritage
Site) and Poblet and Santes Creus monasteries. He tells the stories of
several of Catalonia s great figures: Abbot Oliva, who brought Moorish
learning to Europe, the ruthless mercenary, Roger de Flor, and
Verdaguer, handsome poet-priest. Catalonia is famous today for its
twentieth-century art. This book focuses on the revolutionary Art
Nouveau buildings (including the Sagrada Familia) of Antoni Gaudi. It
also explores the region s artistic legacy: the young Picasso painting
Barcelona s vibrant slums; Salvador Dali, inspired by the twisted rocks
of Cap de Creus to paint his landscapes of the human mind; and Joan
Miro, discovering the colours of the red earth at Montroig.
