In memory of Jonathan Brown (1939-2022)
April 28th, 2022 (4:00-5:30pm Boston / 22:00-23:30 Madrid)
Hybrid (Zoom & In Person) | RSVP: https://bit.ly/RSVP-Observatorio o info-observatory@fas.harvard.edu
At the close of the 19th century, Spain and the United States went to war. Paradoxically, that same era ushered in new interest in Spanish and, more broadly, Hispanic cultures throughout the U.S. This ‘craze’ for Spain manifested itself in U.S. art, architecture, and literature, as well as in fashion and design. This illustrated presentation will reflect on the relationship between the guest lecturer’s 2019 book The Spanish Craze: America’s Fascination with the Arts and Cultures of the Hispanic World, 1779-1939, and recent Spanish publications centered on the “Black Legend”––the negative image of Spain whose origins date back to the 16th century.
Richard L. Kagan is Arthur O. Lovejoy Professor Emeritus of History and Academy Professor of History at Johns Hopkins University. Well-known for his many contributions to the art, culture, and history of Spain and the broader Hispanic World, his many books include Urban Images of the Hispanic World, 1493-1793 (2000), Spain in America: The Origins of Hispanism in the United States (2002), Clio and the Crown: The Politics of History in Medieval and Early Modern Spain (2009), and The Spanish Craze: America’s Fascination with the Arts and Cultures of the Hispanic World, 1779-1939 (2019), as well as a forthcoming biography on historian Henry Charles Lea. Professor Kagan is currently preparing a book tentatively entitled ‘La Famosa Filadelfia’: Hispanic Revolutionaries in the City of Brotherly Love.
Language: English