A Paradise of the Senses

 

With perhaps the exception of Ernest Hemingway, most foreign artistic luminaries who have passed through Seville over the last two hundred years claimed to have been seduced by its romantic allure and overwhelmed by its historic, religious and architectural wealth. Seville’s colourful customs and traditions also appealed to these foreign visitors, especially the Englishman, Richard Ford, who is said to have completely integrated into Sevillian society, even to the extent of adopting the typical attire of the period: this was in contrast to the traditional dress chosen among the 19^th century upper classes of London from which Ford descended.

Spain acquired a European vogue during what is called the ‘romantic era’, a time when the theorisers of the romantism movements in the UK, France and Germany began to discover Spanish literature, in particular, Cervante’s Don Quijote. This period offered foreign artistes a rich source of themes and settings inspired by Andalucía and its people, their traditions and their music. Their ideals were inspired by the picturesque and the passionate, the chivalresque and the medieval image of the region, especially in cities like Seville, although few of these academics had any real knowledge of the Spanish language or its history.

Some of the first foreigners to arrive in Spain during the late 18^th and early 19^th centuries have been accused of having no interest in the country, its language or its politics, instead basing ‘their writings on their own imaginations’.

Many of the first ‘romantics’ to arrive in Seville during the first half of the 19^th century noted the immense wealth of historic buildings, especially the cathedral. This colossal edifice attracted much attention from the likes of Lord Byron, Washington Irving and Robert Dundas Murray, all of whom spoke of its grandeur elegance and the colossal wealth of art it concealed.

Ford spoke of ‘great doings in the cathedral, churches and convents, great consumption of incense, torches and oil tapers’, a reflection of Seville’s dedication to its religious customs, especially its Semana Santa celebrations, among the most elaborate in Spain.

Along with the continual flow of foreign literary figures who found Seville a paradise of the senses, many of the Spanish writers and poets also lauded it in their works. The Sevillian poet Manuel Machado exalted Seville, describing it as ‘bull-loving, witty and animated’; while the Nobel Prize for Literature winner, Juan Ramón Jiménez, claimed it was the ‘ideal capital of poetry’. 

Much of what appealed to the early foreign visitors is obviously still standing, both structurally and culturally, although Seville’s layout has changed considerably since the 19^th century. One of the most significant alterations was the demolition of much of the city’s defensive walls in the last quarter of the 19^th century, something that today would be unthinkable. This was followed by the expansion of the area around the cathedral and towards the Guadalquivir river, which removed much of what Robert Dundas Murray described as ‘the sunshine and solitude’ that existed outside the defensive walls.

One might ask what these early tourists would have made of the changes that have taken place since the end of the 19^th century? One might also ask what Seville would be like today if it had not hosted the World Exhibition in 1929? This was a landmark in the contemporary history of Seville, and one which shaped the city’s modern image on the world stage. Imagine a Seville without its splendorous Plaza de España, one of the most beautiful architectural designs in the city. When 19^th century writers stopped off in Seville during their tours of Andalucía, the area which Plaza de España, Plaza de América and Parque María Luisa now dominate would have been desolated, and, as Murray put it, nothing more than an expanse area of loneliness and silence.

Excerpt from the new book - Seville: a Legacy of Enchantment. 

Available from Amazon from Monday 16 February

Author website