Category Archives: Art

Illustrating Spain’s Silver Age of Literature: Carmen de Burgos, Ramon, and “Bon”

Posted on July 21, 2017 by Dr. Rebecca Bender

I’ve been working for several months now on an article on Carmen de Burgos’s 1924 novel La mujer fantástica (The Amazing/Fantastic Woman), and my research has been focused a lot on European art history and the diverse visual imagery that … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Literature, Modernity, Spain, Women | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

In Praise of “Real Books”: Velázquez and the Filtered Reality of Spain’s Siglo de Oro

Posted on March 17, 2017 by Dr. Rebecca Bender

This week I read a post from the Smithsonian Insider blog on Why Museums and Libraries Are More Relevant than Ever, which is an exceptional read in a time when continued funding for the arts and humanities has suddenly been … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, History, Pedagogy, Spain | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Food, Art, and Eroticism? Gala’s Meals in Salvador Dalí’s Cookbook

Posted on December 16, 2016 by Dr. Rebecca Bender

Still looking for the perfect gift for someone who appreciates cooking and cookbooks, art and photography, or somewhat obscure Spanish cultural history? Good news! Just this October I learned that Taschen would publish a new edition of Salvador Dalí’s Rare, … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Spain, Surrealism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Walking Around Scarecrows and Scarefishes: Surrealist Angst in Maruja Mallo and Pablo Neruda

Posted on September 29, 2016 by Dr. Rebecca Bender

One of the things I love about teaching and analyzing Spanish literature is that each time I (re)read a text for a new class or course, I end up interpreting it differently depending on what else I happen to be … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Literature, Spain, Spanish America, Surrealism, Women | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Women and the Avant-garde: Maruja Mallo’s “Verbenas” (Carnivals)

Posted on August 9, 2016 by Dr. Rebecca Bender

Lately I’ve been returning to the art and literature of the Spanish Avant-garde – the time period that sparked my interest in studying Spanish literary, art, and cultural history more in depth (roughly 1917-1930s). Since I received my copy of … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Spain, Surrealism, Women | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Summer in Mexico: Monuments, Murals, and Mole, oh my!

Posted on June 29, 2016 by Dr. Rebecca Bender

It’s summer vacation! My third since starting this blog…  And while the past two summers I traveled to Spain primarily for professional reasons (to present at conferences), I also made sure to plan my trips to include some vacation time. … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, History | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Discovering “The Soul of Spain”… in Kansas!

Posted on May 25, 2016 by Dr. Rebecca Bender

Since my hectic, teaching-heavy spring semester is finally over, I now have some time to start easing back into a few of my research projects. But first, of course, I needed some time to relax and not think about anything … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, History, Literature, Spain, Women | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Photography and the Chromatic Language of Cristina García’s Dreaming in Cuban

Posted on April 30, 2016 by Dr. Rebecca Bender

With the Obamas’ recent trip to Cuba (March 2016), the Caribbean island has been appearing frequently across social media and in a variety of US news outlets – from the New York Times to Buzzfeed. National Geographic featured a piece … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Language, Literature, Spanish America, Women | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Picasso’s “Guernica” and Aleixandre’s “Oda”: The Spanish Civil War in Art and Poetry

Posted on December 5, 2015 by Dr. Rebecca Bender

One of my favorite things to do when creating lesson plans and homework assignments is to find visuals that evoke the same themes or feelings as the literary text. When teaching poetry for example, I have found that images work … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, History, Literature, Spain, Spanish Civil War | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Francisco de Goya: The Enigma of the Black Paintings

Posted on November 4, 2015 by Dr. Rebecca Bender

This semester at Kansas State I am teaching a survey course on Spanish Civilization and Culture. While it is certainly requiring me to brush up on history and politics (from prehistoric times to the present, nonetheless), it is also giving … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Spain | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment