On April 12, Rafael Martín Rodríguez, a foreign expert from Fudan University, delivered a lecture on “Cultural Differences Between Spanish and Other European Countries from an Artistic Perspective” at the invitation of Institute of Spanish Language and Culture, Zhejiang University. Prof. Rafae’s humorous language aroused the strong interest of students and teachers at the very beginning. Starting from the ideas of Ancient Roman Times, he elicitedthe distinctive thinking model of Spain with the example of Seneca, a great ideologist in Hispania. Then in the “Different Middle Ages” section, he described the influences of Jews, Arabs and Catholics on Spanish culture and their mutual integration with pictures of Spanish architectures and decorations in the Middle Ages. By comparing Spanish culture to “soup”, he vividly explained the unique phenomenon of the integration of three cultures in Spain.
Later, with paintings, dramas and novels as examples, Prof. Rafael interpreted the national characteristics of Spain from the concept of honor, the geographical diversity of Spain as well as the sense of humor and passion of Spanish people. Finally, with a focus on the special role and status of Spanish women in Spanish history and culture, he pointed out that there had long been literary and artistic works with women as protagonists, and these female images were sophisticated and real, contradictory but full of tension (e.g. drama Celestina, Goya’s painting Duchess de Alba and Lorca’s Yerma, etc.), which provoked people’s thinking about historical reality.
At the end, students and teachers had heated discussions on some of Prof. Rafael’s novel views and benefited a great deal.
Institute of Spanish Language and Culture
April 19, 2019
Written by Zhang Yiyan
Translated by Shang Xiaoyi and Zhan Bingbing
Edited by Xu Xueying
