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Art & Architecture
Andalusia: Art & Architecture
Book by Hintzen-Bohlen, Brigitte
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 3, 2024
Toller Reisebegleiter, hat das Erkunden Andalusiens wirklich viel schöner gemacht… ein Stern Abzug, weil manche Informationen -insbesondere zum Islam- nicht stimmten
August 16, 2015
I think this is my favourite in those of this Art and Architecture of ...series that I have read (Venice and Tuscany are the other two I've read, and Berlin is on my list).
All provinces of Andalusia are included, and villages and sites off the beaten track, not just the most visited centres.
It concentrates fair and square on the art and architecture you can see in Southern Spain, and gives enough historical background to be able to unravel the various strands of styles and subject matters, no mean feat in a part of Europe that has seen so many occupations and religious influences over the millenia since the first peoples arrived.
I'd like to see a bit more social history, but then the book would probably exceed the size and weight that would make it an invaluable travelling companion if you could carry books with weight with you, for instance in a car.
The illustrations are excellent, maps helpful. It is well indexed, has an annotated historical timeline and an illustrated gazetteer of architectural terms.
It is not a travel guide in the usual sense - no accommodation, eating or beach recommendations. But you can get that elsewhere. This is a treasure if you're interested in art and architecture.
One little grizzle that doesn't take away from its excellence but made me twitch every now and then, is that the standard of translation from the original German varies between sections, and sometimes you come across an untranslated German word like 'und' or 'aber', which are perhaps so familiar to the translators and proof readers that they didn't see them. Anyway, the meaning is always clear.
All provinces of Andalusia are included, and villages and sites off the beaten track, not just the most visited centres.
It concentrates fair and square on the art and architecture you can see in Southern Spain, and gives enough historical background to be able to unravel the various strands of styles and subject matters, no mean feat in a part of Europe that has seen so many occupations and religious influences over the millenia since the first peoples arrived.
I'd like to see a bit more social history, but then the book would probably exceed the size and weight that would make it an invaluable travelling companion if you could carry books with weight with you, for instance in a car.
The illustrations are excellent, maps helpful. It is well indexed, has an annotated historical timeline and an illustrated gazetteer of architectural terms.
It is not a travel guide in the usual sense - no accommodation, eating or beach recommendations. But you can get that elsewhere. This is a treasure if you're interested in art and architecture.
One little grizzle that doesn't take away from its excellence but made me twitch every now and then, is that the standard of translation from the original German varies between sections, and sometimes you come across an untranslated German word like 'und' or 'aber', which are perhaps so familiar to the translators and proof readers that they didn't see them. Anyway, the meaning is always clear.
September 16, 2019
The author has managed to pack a lot into this small volume. It's botha useful travel guide to major sites in Andalusia plus a potted history of the region with some nice specialist sections on subjects as diverse as Flamenco, known scholars such as Mamonides and Averroes (both of whom ended up badly), a section on the art of Islamic calligraphy and so on. I must say it was rather marred for me when I read on p349 that Arabic is read from left to right.....I assume this is just an oversight but it left me wondering how many other oversights there might be.
The photographs are great but suffer because of the small size. If one wants to look for architectural detail, you can't see it with the small pictures.
I liked the maps and I generally liked the geographic coverage..though there is nothing about the modern Spain...it's all historic. Though I must say that I enjoyed vicariously re-tracing my own travels through this area. I remember people telling me that the Andalucian's were very hospitable and this, indeed was my own experience. It was attributed to customs carried over from the moorish period.
After reas=ding this book, I found myself musing how things might have evolved had Isabella not succumbed to the Dominicans by instituting The Inquisition and the subsequent expulsion of over 200,000 Jews and Muslims....to say nothing of the forced conversions, horrific tortures and burning people alive. As the book points out time and again, the muslim rule was distinctly more accommodating and tolerant of Christians and jews in their midst.
An attractive little book...I have another in the series which is about Tuscany.
The photographs are great but suffer because of the small size. If one wants to look for architectural detail, you can't see it with the small pictures.
I liked the maps and I generally liked the geographic coverage..though there is nothing about the modern Spain...it's all historic. Though I must say that I enjoyed vicariously re-tracing my own travels through this area. I remember people telling me that the Andalucian's were very hospitable and this, indeed was my own experience. It was attributed to customs carried over from the moorish period.
After reas=ding this book, I found myself musing how things might have evolved had Isabella not succumbed to the Dominicans by instituting The Inquisition and the subsequent expulsion of over 200,000 Jews and Muslims....to say nothing of the forced conversions, horrific tortures and burning people alive. As the book points out time and again, the muslim rule was distinctly more accommodating and tolerant of Christians and jews in their midst.
An attractive little book...I have another in the series which is about Tuscany.
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June 13, 2009It is translated into English by 3 different people from German. Some of the translation is very amusing.
I get the impression that there is not much else in Spain than cathedrals and churches and the art made for their altars.
I get the impression that there is not much else in Spain than cathedrals and churches and the art made for their altars.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews