In last months Grapevine there was a article about immigrants and I am sure many of you reading this will be a fellow immigrant in this wonderful country. But what about Spain’s culture? I am more than happy to join in with Cómpeta’s Noche del Vino – consuming alcohol is one of my skills; it’s on my CV – but if I ponder Spain’s history, its world renowned famous people, I must confess I struggle. Maybe this has something to do with not having Spanish TV. I have written before about the “snobbery” involved with this; where ex-pats snootily tell you they do not have Sky and only watch Spanish TV. I appreciate that I should watch Spanish TV to keep abreast of local news and issues whilst improving my Spanish, but I am sorry, the BBC without doubt, make the best TV in the world (if you exclude reality shows and soaps). Nobody can do drama like the Beeb as illustrated by the recent Stephen Poliakov season including the excellent Joe’s Palace. Some Spanish actors have made it to mainstream movie superstardom, which realistically means they have cracked Hollywood. Antonio Banderas is one of Malaga’s famous sons and is definitely on the A-list in Spain and round the world. In October he attended a football match at Malaga’s Rosaleda stadium. His presence swelled the attendance from 14,000 at the previous home game to around 20,000. I am assured by people that were there that the extra 6,000 people were mainly swooning women.
Another Hollywood A-lister is Penélope Cruz. Penélope was born in Madrid to a retailer father and hairdressing mother. Despite studying classical ballet at Spain’s National Conservatory, it was beating 300 other hopefuls at a talent agency audition that led to her appearing in several TV shows and music videos. This eventually led to film parts, but it was her role as Luz in the Oscar-winning (as well as a host of other awards) film Belle Epoque in 1992 that catapulted her into the position as Spain’s leading lady. Despite plaudits for her acting abilities, most recently in the film Volver, it is probably as “Tom Cruise’s Ex” that she is best remembered.
Arguably the most famous Spaniard of them all, Pablo Picasso, also hails from Malaga. Picasso, one of the most recognised figures in 20th century art was born in 1881 to a father who was also a painter and a professor of art. From an early age he showed a natural flare for drawing and it is said that his first word was “piz” a variation on the word “lápiz” the Spanish word for pencil. Picasso is honoured in some style at the Museo Picasso in Malaga, situated at the Palacio de Buenavista, San Agustín 8. This wonderful building displays works from the beginning to the end of his life’s works. Personally, although I do enjoy art, I must confess to not really liking or understanding Picasso’s work beyond his Blue Period (1901 – 1904) although his ability in the Blue Period and show he was a very talented artist. Probably his most famous piece of work, Guernica shows the German bombing of Guernica during the Spanish Civil war. Whilst it undoubtedly captures suffering, violence and turmoil, the figures are surreal and grotesque features Picasso is famous for. Some may well call me a Philistine. I refute this. I can see the beauty and power in the works of Abstract Expressionists such as Jackson Pollock or Mark Rothko, but whilst at the Picasso Museum with my wife, I did use a Mr Bean quote to express my apathy to one piece of art. We stood in front of the painting and I turned to my wife and said “nice frame”.
According to Forbes.com which lists the worlds richest people, the 9th richest person is Amancio Ortega with a personal fortune of $24 billion. This by definition makes him the richest person in Spain. Although the name may not be a household one, you need only travel to your nearest shopping centre to see how he made his money. Shops such as Zara,Pull and Bear, Massimo Dutti, Bershka and Stradivarius may sound more familiar. In fact, Inditex, the name of the group of companies, has 3,518 stores in 68 countries. This sounds like a dream come true; to be so wealthy and yet probably able to walk down Oxford street in London without being recognised.
If Picasso is the most famous Spaniard of them all, probably the most infamous is Francisco Franco. Following a distinguished military career, Franco became leader of the Nationalist party who fought against the elected government in the Spanish civil war which started in 1936. After winning the civil war, he dissolved the Spanish parliament and started a regime of authoritarianism which lasted beyond his death in 1975 until 1978. During the Second World War, Spain remained neutral although they did aid Germany and Italy against the Russians. Becoming regent of Spain in 1947, Franco ruled as a dictator, imposing long prison sentences and the death penalty against criminals, terrorists, and all political opponents, from anarchists to liberal democrats. Strong-arm police tactics were also employed to control non-government trade unions and Catalan and Basque separatist movements. Many Spaniards have sought to remove official recognition of his regime. In public places, statues and public symbols have been removed. The last Franco statue was removed in Madrid in 2005. Imminently, Spain will ban all public references to Franco’s regime. All statues, symbols and street names linked with the dictator will be removed. Local villages such as Canillas de Albaida have recently held re-naming ceremonies for plazas and streets. Spain has seen unprecedented economical growth since the death of Franco, and only now seems to be able to begin to come terms with the horrors he inflicted and since Zapatero’s election victory in 2004, large-scale searches for mass graves of those executed under Franco’s rule have taken place.
Whilst Spain is famous for its bullfighting and Flamenco, generally outside of Spain its leading exponents of these activities are not very well known. That said, bullfighting also takes place in Portugal, some parts of France and Latin America. In Spain, matadors need to be 16 years of age, so some ply their trade in Latin America from as young as 13, honing their abilities until they can return to Spain to fight legally. Bullfighting may seem a barbaric sport to many an outsider, but in Spain reports of bullfights are detailed in the culture sections of newspapers and magazines. Bullfighting has seen a slump in popularity and matadors do not earn as much money in real terms as their peers in the 1960’s. maybe the danger involved in fighting such a huge powerful beast is one of the appeals of bullfighting. Indeed, one of the most famous matadors ever, known as Manolete was killed in 1947 after being gored as he killed his fifth bull of the day.
It is easy to admire the grace and passion of Flamenco dancers and the virtuoso guitar playing of flamenco musicians. But once again, it is quite hard for me and many other people I know to fully appreciate and enjoy this art form. The nearest flamenco came to having a superstar was the singer Camarón de la Isla who is considered by many to be the most influential flamenco singer ever. He also had his critics; traditionalists were not happy with his use of the electric bass guitar in his songs. His critics would also have been unhappy with his image; in most pictures I have seen of Camarón he looks like a rock and roll star. He lived the rock and roll life style too, dabbling with drugs before dying at the age of 42 in 1992.
