The Spanish artist Augusto Ferrer Dalmau (1964) is considered a "painter of battles". This presentation focuses on verifying the presence of literature in his work. Quijotada coracera and Quijotada carlista are portraits that reflect patriotic ideals. The first one, it is inspired in the cuirassiers, a regiment which participated in the Spanish War of Independence, fighting against the French invasion. The second one, it deals with Carlism, whose motto, "God. Nation. King", points to its traditional values in the issue of succession to the throne. Miguel de Cervantes presents this author in the battle of Lepanto, which pitted the Holy League against the Ottoman Empire, and the Spanish Empire defended Catholic values. Sidi is a painting inspired in "El Cid Campeador". In this case, the work takes as a reference a passage of Poema de Mío Cid, an epic poem freely inspired by the life of this knight, legendary figure of the Reconquista and, consequently, a national hero. The passage reflects the moment when a girl informs the hero her village cannot admit him due to an order of the king. The literary motifs in these works present characters showing serenity in situations where they defend traditional national values: in the first two, there is a landscape with a cloudy sky suggesting hard times; in the third, in the midst of the chaos of a battle; and in the last, receiving bad news. With this contribution, literature teaches that warlike ardor is not the only ingredient in national defense.

Authors:
Emilio Álvarez Castaño, University of The Bahamas, Bahamas

About the Presenter(s)
Emilio José Álvarez Castaño. Assistant Professor. Main research fields: 20th-century British poetry, history in literature, comparative literature, and film adaptations of literary works.

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