THE POETS AND PAINTERS OF SPAIN.
London, 30th October 1856.
Sin—If anything more about "Old Spain" is worth the space it will occupy in your journal, you may not object to my saying a word for her Poets and Painters.
Of the former, and with all deference to the observations in your last number, I scarcely think it can be said that the reputation of Lope de Vega and Calderon is not European. But however this may be, it is certain that the extraordinary composition of the thirteenth century entitled the "Poema del Cid" has now become well known all over Europe, and that the old Castilian poets Gonzalo de Berceo and Juan de Lorenzo are recognized as being equal to any of their contemporaries in other countries. They were succeeded by Santellano, Quevedo, Louis de Gongora, Garcillasso, Villaviciosa, Emilia, and others ; altogether proving, I conceive, that up to the end of the seventeenth century their country occupied a position in respect to poetry equivalent to most of the other kingdoms of Europe.
As regards painting, the Spanish school is considered by artists as second only to the Italian. , Its general character is solemn, religious, and grand, truly depicting the nature of the people and country. Although Velazquez, the great master of this school, spent at two different periods of his life about four years in Italy, it is always allowed that his style was not in the slightest degree changed owing to these visits : his method of painting was peculiar to himself—original. Ribera is considered to have somewhat taken Cara- vaggio for his model, probably owing to his long residence in Italy. But Murillo's style is eminently Spanish ; and the same may be said of Juanis, the Spanish Raphael,) Zurbaran, L. Morales, Herrera the elder, Iriarte, Navarreto, and nearly all the other masters. At the Museo of rid
Mad are their works to be best studied, and their importance properly,
estimated ; and that this the first collection of pictures in Europe will not suffer owing to their country's decline, is the hope of
Yours respectfully, Pilaus HISPANLE. P.S.—In my letter of the 23d, the printer, by an error in punctuation, makes me say that Philip the Second, instead of Charles the Fifth, was the son of Queen Joanna.
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