The Romanesque Art was symbolic and at the service of a message that should be simple to reach the vast majority of the illiterate population. You can discover it until the 15th of May through the 59 works that integrate the “El Esplendor del Romanticismo” exhibition at the MAPFRE Foundation.

This enigmatic, austere and powerful art was the result of the communication and exchange of ideas and cultures that took place, among other places, in the pilgrimage centres ranging from Santiago de Compostela to Jerusalem.

This enigmatic, austere and powerful art was born during the XII and XIII centuries, coinciding with a time of great economic and commercial development and now its techniques and its main topics are represented in the five areas that make up the exhibition.

The bright colours, used for educational but also for aesthetic reasons, in this enigmatic, austere and powerful art may be seen in the "El color en la arquitectura”, where the main character is “La lapidación de San Esteban”, presented for the first time in public after being restored.

The size and the iconographic program of the Romanesque’s fronts have their place in "La escultura monumental". "Un espacio para la narración" shows examples of tempera painting table. "El poder de las imágenes" invokes the power of religious symbolism and "El tesoro de la Iglesia" helps us understanding the dual role of the gold articles during the time that this enigmatic, austere and powerful art monopolized all attention.

El Esplendor del Románico. Obras maestras del Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya
Date: until the 15th of May 2011
Opening hours: Mondays from 2p.m to 8p.m. From Tuesdays to Saturdays from 10a.m. to 8p.m. Sundays from 11a.m. to 7p.m.
Place: Fundación MAPFRE. 23th Recoletos Walk
Free entrance

Pinturas de Boí: Lapidación de San Esteban
Ca. 1100
Fresco traspasado a lienzo
Iglesia de Sant Joan de Boí (Alta Ribagorça, Lleida)
Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya
Picture: Fernando Maquieira