Arte de tradición románica en el Reino de Valencia desde la conquista de Jaime I hasta 1350. ¿Un "románico" valenciano posible?

Abstract

The main aim of the thesis is the development of a comprehensive catalogue of all works of Romanesque tradition we have been able to find within the limits of the old Kingdom of Valencia between the first third of the 13th century and the mid-14th century. The catalogue is preceded by an introduction where we reflect on the concept of ""Romanesque"" and its features in the Valencian territory after the conquest in an age in which Gothic is already fully implemented in other European regions. After the introduction, follows a compilation of what historiography had told since the 18th century up to the present, so that we could identify which works have been considered as Romanesque and its appreciation at the time. Some publications influenced decisively in every age, setting up a view determined by the changing consideration of the historic and cultural origin of Valencian society. In most cases, studies are local references, with more descriptions than explanations. As a consequence, we saw the need of a catalogue including any existing testimony, or, in case already disappeared, its graphic or documental evidence, which has been defined as Romanesque or it can be considered like that based on the parameters setted up by historiography. For the compilation of this corpus, it was necessary visiting many places, with collection of measurements, photographs, plans and designs, completed with consultation of all kind of sources. The catalogue is organized according to the current administrative demarcations, making a small monograph of each work or building studied, consisting of a historical synthesis that marks chronological points of reference, description and conclusions which relates each work with its immediate surroundings, looking for its links with the other territories of the Crown of Aragon and other areas of southern Europe, suggesting a dating and stylistic attribution and ending with the consulted bibliography. After the catalogue, which allowed precise, correct some aspects and incorporate some interesting discoveries, finding masterpieces given for lost, as well as iconographic reading attempts, all to constitute a corpus of work for future research, we proposed a set of general conclusions to show aspects such as the disregard for the Islamic art, the planning of the new Christian towns, portals and other elements, architectural typologies, monumental sculpture in stone, painting and woodcarving, mostly focused on the representation of the Virgin seated facing the viewer with the Child on her knees, contributes to the scientific discussion, as well as a better appreciation towards the artistic manifestations of this period in a territory usually considered as marginal to Romanesque. Also, we tried to prove that it is not as residual and anachronistic as much of the historiography had been considered, but the preserved indicates a considerable constructive and artistic plan to affirm the Western Christian personality of the new Kingdom. "