JOYEUX NOËL

Édouard Manet

Édouard Manet was born in Paris on 23 January 1832, to an affluent and well connected family. His mother, Eugénie-Desirée Fournier, was the daughter of a diplomat and the goddaughter of the Swedish crown prince, Charles Bernadotte, from whom the current Swedish monarchs are descended. His father, Auguste Manet, was a French judge who expected Édouard to pursue a career in law. His uncle, Charles Fournier, encouraged him to pursue painting and often took young Manet to the Louvre. In 1845, following the advice of his uncle, Manet enrolled in a special course of drawing where he met Antonin Proust, future Minister of Fine Arts, and a subsequent life-long friend.

At his father's suggestion, in 1848 he sailed on a training vessel to Rio de Janeiro. After twice failing the examination to join the navy, the elder Manet relented to his son's wishes to pursue an art education. From 1850 to 1856, Manet studied under the academic painter Thomas Couture, a painter of large historical paintings. In his spare time he copied the old masters in the Louvre.

From 1853 to 1856 he visited Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands, during which time he absorbed the influences of the Dutch painter Frans Hals, and the Spanish artists Diego Velázquez and Francisco José de Goya.

In 1856, he opened his own studio. His style in this period was characterized by loose brush strokes, simplification of details, and the suppression of transitional tones. Adopting the current style of realism initiated by Gustave Courbet, he painted The Absinthe Drinker (1858-59) and other contemporary subjects such as beggars, singers, Gypsies, people in cafés, and bullfights. After his early years, he rarely painted religious, mythological, or historical subjects; examples include his Christ Mocked, now in the Art Institute of Chicago, and Christ with Angels, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Brigitte Bardot

Brigitte Bardot was born on September 28, 1934, in Paris, France. Her father had an engineering degree and worked with his father in the family business. Her mother was 14 years younger than Brigitte's father and they married in 1933. Brigitte's mother encouraged her daughter to take up music and dance, and she proved to be very adept at it. By the time she was 15 Brigitte was trying a modeling career, and found herself in the French magazine "Elle". Her incredible beauty readily apparent, Brigitte next tried films. In 1952 she appeared on screen for the first time as Javotte Lemoine in Trou normand, Le (1952). Two more films followed and it was also the same year she married Roger Vadim. The two had known each other years earlier and she wanted to marry him when she was 17, but her parents quashed any marriage plans until she turned 18. The union lasted only five years. Capitalizing on her success in French films, she made her first US production in 1953 in Un acte d'amour (1953) with Kirk Douglas, but she continued to make films in France. Brigitte's explosive sexuality took the US by storm, and the effect she had on millions of American men who hadn't seen a woman like her in a long, long time--if ever--was electric. took the US by storm, her explosive sexuality being unlike anything seen in the US since the days of the "flapper" in the 1920s. rise to the phrase "sex kitten" and fascination of her in the US consisted of magazines photographs and dubbed over French films--good, bad or indifferent, her films drew audiences--mainly men--into theaters like lemmings. In 1965 she appeared as herself in the American-made Dear Brigitte (1965) with James Stewart (she only appeared in one scene). Just before she turned 40, Brigitte retired from movies after filming Histoire très bonne et très joyeuse de Colinot Trousse-Chemise, L' (1973). She prefers life outside of stardom. While it enabled her to become internationally famous, it also carried with it annoyances. It wasn't anything for her to have "fans" enter her house or wander around the grounds of her home in the hopes of getting a glimpse of her or to take something that belonged to her. Paparazzi constantly hounded her with their cameras. She has been so soft-hearted that some people even have taken advantage of her generosity. After her life in the spotlight, Brigitte went on to become a leading spokesperson for animal rights and started the "Foundation Brigitte Bardot" dedicated solely to that cause. Her work in that realm is, perhaps, far greater than any film she could have made.

Michel Legrand

"Automne" (1964) by Ricardo Asensio




Catherine Deneuve

Les moulins de mon coeur


Comme une pierre que l'on jette
Dans l'eau vive d'un ruisseau
Et qui laisse derrière elle
Des milliers de ronds dans l'eau
Comme un manège de lune
Avec ses chevaux d'étoiles
Comme un anneau de Saturne
Un ballon de carnaval
Comme le chemin de ronde
Que font sans cesse les heures
Le voyage autour du monde
D'un tournesol dans sa fleur
Tu fais tourner de ton nom
Tous les moulins de mon cœur

Comme un écheveau de laine
Entre les mains d'un enfant
Ou les mots d'une rengaine
Pris dans les harpes du vent
Comme un tourbillon de neige
Comme un vol de goélands
Sur des forêts de Norvège
Sur des moutons d'océan
Comme le chemin de ronde
Que font sans cesse les heures
Le voyage autour du monde
D'un tournesol dans sa fleur
Tu fais tourner de ton nom
Tous les moulins de mon cœur


Ce jour-là près de la source
Dieu sait ce que tu m'as dit
Mais l'été finit sa course
L'oiseau tomba de son nid
Et voila que sur le sable
Nos pas s'effacent déjà
Et je suis seul à la table
Qui résonne sous mes doigts
Comme un tambourin qui pleure
Sous les gouttes de la pluie
Comme les chansons qui meurent
Aussitôt qu'on les oublie
Et les feuilles de l'automne
Rencontrent des ciels moins bleus
Et ton absence leur donne
La couleur de tes cheveux

Une pierre que l'on jette
Dans l'eau vive d'un ruisseau
Et qui laisse derrière elle
Des milliers de ronds dans l'eau
Au vent des quatre saisons
Tu fais tourner de ton nom
Tous les moulins de mon cœur

Marc Chagall

Marc Chagall (7 July 1887 – 28 March 1985) was a Russian-Belarusian-French painter of Jewish origin, who was born in Belarus, at that time part of the Russian Empire. He is associated with the modern movements after impressionism.

Marc Chagall was born in Liozno, near Vitebsk, now in Belarus, the eldest of nine children in the close-knit Jewish family led by his father Khatskl (Zakhar) Shagal, a herring merchant, and his mother, Feige-Ite. This period of his life, described as happy though impoverished, appears in references throughout Chagall's work. Currently the Chagall's house on Pokrovskaya Street in Vitebsk is restored as part of the Marc Chagall's Museum.^[1]

After he began studying painting in 1906 under famed local artist Yehuda Pen, Chagall moved to St. Petersburg some months later, in 1907. There he joined the school of the "Society of Art Supporters" and studied under Nikolai Roerich, encountering artists of every school and style. From 1908-1910 Chagall studied under Leon Bakst at the Zvantseva School of Drawing and Painting.

This was a difficult period for Chagall; at the time, Jewish residents were only allowed to live in St. Petersburg with a permit, and the artist was jailed for a brief period for an infringement of this restriction. Despite this, Chagall remained in St. Petersburg until 1910, and regularly visited his home town where, in 1909, he met his future wife, Bella Rosenfeld.

After gaining a reputation as an artist, Chagall left St. Petersburg to settle in Paris to be near the burgeoning art community in the Montparnasse district, where he developed friendships with such avant-garde luminaries as Guillaume Apollinaire, Robert Delaunay, and Fernand Léger. In 1914, he returned to Vitebsk and, a year later, married his fiancée, Bella. While in Russia, World War I erupted and, in 1916, the Chagalls had their first child, a daughter they named Ida.

Chagall became an active participant in the Russian Revolution of 1917. Although the Soviet Ministry of Culture made him a Commissar of Art for the Vitebsk region, where he founded Vitebsk Museum of Modern Art and an art school, he did not fare well politically under the Soviet system. He and his wife moved to Moscow in 1920 and then back to Paris three years later, in 1923. During this period, Chagall published his memoirs in Yiddish, which were originally written in Russian and translated into French by Bella. He also wrote articles, poetry and memoirs in Yiddish, published mainly in newspapers (and only posthumously in book-form). Chagall became a French citizen in 1937.

With the Nazi occupation of France during World War II and the deportation of Jews, the Chagalls fled Paris, seeking asylum at Villa Air-Bel in Marseille, where the American journalist Varian Fry assisted in their escape from France through Spain and Portugal. In 1941, the Chagalls settled in the United States of America.

On September 2, 1944, Chagall's beloved Bella, the constant subject of his paintings and companion of his life, died. Two years later, in 1946, he returned to Europe. By 1949 he was working in Provence, in the South of France. That same year, Chagall took part in the creation of the MRAP anti-racist NGO.

The depression Chagall experienced following Bella's death was alleviated in 1945 when he met Virginia Haggard McNeil, with whom he had a son the following year, David (McNeil), and who became his housekeeper and lover. At this time, Chagall received financial aid from theatrical commissions and, in his painting, rediscovered a free and vibrant use of color. His works of this period are dedicated to love and the joy of life, with curved, sinuous figures. He also began to work in sculpture, ceramics, and stained glass.

In 1950 he also began experimenting with graphic mediums. After meeting with Fernand Mourlot, he often visited Mourlot Studios where he eventually produced close to a thousand different lithographic editions. With the assistance of Charles Sorlier, a master printer working at Mourlot, he spent 30 years exploring the graphic medium that most lends itself to color representation. Charles Sorlier also became one of his closest friends, assistant and counsel until the day of his death.

Chagall remarried in 1952 to Valentina Brodsky (whom he called "Vava"); Virginia had left him the previous year. He traveled several times to Greece and in 1957 visited Israel. In 1960, he created stained glass windows for the synagogue of the Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital in Jerusalem and, in 1966, wall art for the new parliament being constructed in that city.

During the Six-Day War the hospital came under severe attack, placing Chagall's work under threat. In response to this, Chagall wrote a letter from France stating "I am not worried about the windows, only about the safety of Israel. Let Israel be safe and I will make you lovelier windows.". Luckily, most of the panels were removed in time, with only one sustaining severe damage. In 1973, Israel issued a series of stamps featuring the Chagall windows, which depict the Twelve tribes, such as Levi, pictured there.

At the age of 97, Chagall died in Saint-Paul de Vence on the French Riviera on March 28, 1985 and was buried at the local cemetery. His plot is located in the most westerly aisle upon entering the cemetery.

El Greco

El Greco ("The Greek", 1541 – April 7, 1614) was a painter, sculptor, and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. He usually signed his paintings in Greek letters with his full name, Doménicos Theotokópoulos (Greek: Δομήνικος Θεοτοκόπουλος), underscoring his Greek origin.

El Greco was born in Crete, which was at that time part of the Republic of Venice, and the centre of Post-Byzantine art. He trained and became a master within that tradition before travelling at age 26 to Venice, as other Greek artists had done. In 1570 he moved to Rome, where he opened a workshop and executed a series of works. During his stay in Italy, El Greco enriched his style with elements of Mannerism and of the Venetian Renaissance. In 1577 he moved to Toledo, Spain, where he lived and worked until his death. In Toledo, El Greco received several major commissions and produced his best known paintings.

El Greco's dramatic and expressionistic style was met with puzzlement by his contemporaries but found appreciation in the 20th century. El Greco is regarded as a precursor of both Expressionism and Cubism, while his personality and works were a source of inspiration for poets and writers such as Rainer Maria Rilke and Nikos Kazantzakis. El Greco has been characterized by modern scholars as an artist so individual that he belongs to no conventional school. He is best known for tortuously elongated figures and often fantastic or phantasmagorical pigmentation, marrying Byzantine traditions with those of Western painting.

Life

Early years and family

Born in 1541 in either the village of Fodele or Candia (the Venetian name of Chandax, present day Heraklion) in Crete, El Greco was descended from a prosperous urban family, which had probably been driven out of Chania to Candia after an uprising against the Venetians between 1526 and 1528. El Greco's father, Geórgios Theotokópoulos (d. 1556), was a merchant and tax collector. Nothing is known about his mother or his first wife, a Greek woman. El Greco's older brother, Manoússos Theotokópoulos (1531 – December 13, 1604), was a wealthy merchant and spent the last years of his life (1603–1604) in El Greco's Toledo home.

Most scholars believe that the Theotocópoulos "family was almost certainly Greek Orthodox", although some Catholic sources still claim him from birth. Like many Orthodox emigrants to Europe, he apparently transferred to Catholicism after his arrival, and certainly practiced as a Catholic in Spain, where he described himself as a "devout Catholic" in his will. The extensive archival research conducted since the early 1960s by scholars, such as Nikolaos Panayotakis, Pandelis Prevelakis and Maria Constantoudaki, indicates strongly that El Greco's family and ancestors were Greek Orthodox. One of his uncles was an Orthodox priest, and his name is not mentioned in the Catholic archival baptismal records on Crete. Prevelakis goes even further, expressing his doubt that El Greco was ever a practicing Roman Catholic.

Spain

Immigration to Toledo

In 1577, El Greco emigrated first to Madrid, then to Toledo, where he produced his mature works. At the time, Toledo was the religious capital of Spain and a populous city with "an illustrious past, a prosperous present and an uncertain future".In Rome, El Greco had earned the respect of some intellectuals, but was also facing the hostility of certain art critics. During the 1570s the huge monastery-palace of El Escorial was still under construction and Philip II of Spain was experiencing difficulties in finding good artists for the many large paintings required to decorate it. Titian was dead, and Tintoretto, Veronese and Anthonis Mor all refused to come to Spain. Philip had had to rely on the lesser talent of Juan Fernándes de Navarrete, whose gravedad y decoro ("seriousness and decorum") the king approved. However, he had just died in 1579; the moment should have been ideal for El Greco. Through Clovio and Orsini, El Greco met Benito Arias Montano, a Spanish humanist and agent of Philip; Pedro Chacón, a clergyman; and Luis de Castilla, son of Diego de Castilla, the dean of the Cathedral of Toledo. El Greco's friendship with Castilla would secure his first large commissions in Toledo. He arrived in Toledo by July 1577, and signed contracts for a group of paintings that was to adorn the church of Santo Domingo el Antiguo in Toledo and for the renowned El Espolio. By September 1579 he had completed nine paintings for Santo Domingo, including The Trinity and The Assumption of the Virgin. These works would establish the painter's reputation in Toledo.

El Greco did not plan to settle permanently in Toledo, since his final aim was to win the favor of Philip and make his mark in his court. Indeed, he did manage to secure two important commissions from the monarch: Allegory of the Holy League and Martyrdom of St. Maurice. However, the king did not like these works and placed the St Maurice altarpiece in the chapter-house rather than the intended chapel. He gave no further commissions to El Greco. The exact reasons for the king's dissatisfaction remain unclear. Some scholars have suggested that Philip did not like the inclusion of living persons in a religious scene; some others that El Greco's works violated a basic rule of the Counter-Reformation, namely that in the image the content was paramount rather than the style. Philip took a close interest in his artistic commissions, and had very decided tastes; a long sought-after sculpted Crucifixion by Benvenuto Cellini also failed to please when it arrived, and was likewise exiled to a less prominent place. Philip's next experiment, with Federigo Zuccaro was even less successful. In any case, Philip's dissatisfaction ended any hopes of royal patronage El Greco may have had.

Mature works and later years

Lacking the favor of the king, El Greco was obliged to remain in Toledo, where he had been received in 1577 as a great painter. According to Hortensio Félix Paravicino, a 17th-century Spanish preacher and poet, "Crete gave him life and the painter's craft, Toledo a better homeland, where through Death he began to achieve eternal life." In 1585, he appears to have hired an assistant, Italian painter Francisco Preboste, and to have established a workshop capable of producing altar frames and statues as well as paintings. On March 12, 1586 he obtained the commission for The Burial of the Count of Orgaz, now his best-known work. The decade 1597 to 1607 was a period of intense activity for El Greco. During these years he received several major commissions, and his workshop created pictorial and sculptural ensembles for a variety of religious institutions. Among his major commissions of this period were three altars for the Chapel of San José in Toledo (1597–1599); three paintings (1596–1600) for the Colegio de Doña María de Aragon, an Augustinian monastery in Madrid, and the high altar, four lateral altars, and the painting St. Ildefonso for the Capilla Mayor of the Hospital de la Caridad (Hospital of Charity) at Illescas (1603–1605). The minutes of the commission of The Virgin of the Immaculate Conception (1607–1613), which were composed by the personnel of the municipality, describe El Greco as "one of the greatest men in both this kingdom and outside it".

Between 1607 and 1608 El Greco was involved in a protracted legal dispute with the authorities of the Hospital of Charity at Illescas concerning payment for his work, which included painting, sculpture and architecture; this and other legal disputes contributed to the economic difficulties he experienced towards the end of his life. In 1608, he received his last major commission: for the Hospital of Saint John the Baptist in Toledo.

El Greco made Toledo his home. Surviving contracts mention him as the tenant from 1585 onwards of a complex consisting of three apartments and twenty-four rooms which belonged to the Marquis de Villena. It was in these apartments, which also served as his workshop, that he passed the rest of his life, painting and studying. He lived in considerable style, sometimes employing musicians to play whilst he dined. It is not confirmed whether he lived with his Spanish female companion, Jerónima de Las Cuevas, whom he probably never married. She was the mother of his only son, Jorge Manuel, born in 1578, who also became a painter, assisted his father, and continued to repeat his compositions for many years after he inherited the studio.

In 1604, Jorge Manuel and Alfonsa de los Morales gave birth to El Greco's grandson, Gabriel, who was baptized by Gregorio Angulo, governor of Toledo and a personal friend of the artist.

During the course of the execution of a commission for the Hospital Tavera, El Greco fell seriously ill, and a month later, on April 7, 1614, he died. A few days earlier, on March 31, he had directed that his son should have the power to make his will. Two Greeks, friends of the painter, witnessed this last will and testament (El Greco never lost touch with his Greek origins). He was buried in the Church of Santo Domingo el Antigua.

L’Espagne

L’Espagne, est un pays d'Europe du sud et d'Europe de l'Ouest qui occupe la plus grande partie de la péninsule ibérique. Son territoire est limité au nord par les Pyrénées qui constituent une frontière naturelle avec la France et l'Andorre, à l'ouest par une longue frontière nord-sud avec le Portugal, et au sud par le territoire anglais de Gibraltar et le détroit du même nom, qui sépare le continent européen de l'Afrique. Les deux villes de Ceuta et de Melilla, limitrophes du Maroc, ainsi que les archipels des Îles Canaries dans l'océan Atlantique et des Îles Baléares en Méditerranée, sont des territoires non péninsulaires de l'Espagne. Deuxième plus ancienne puissance coloniale européenne après le Portugal, le pays s'est enrichi du XV^e siècle au XVI^e siècle, mais a décliné avec la perte de ses colonies tout aux long du XIX^e siècle. L'Espagne est membre de l'OTAN depuis 1982 et de l'Union européenne depuis 1986. C'est un des pays les plus visités au monde après la France mais c'est le pays qui engrange une grande quantité financière d'origine touristique grâce à un important pouvoir d'achat. Elle accueille le siège de l'Organisation mondiale du tourisme (OMT).

Histoire

Les populations autochtones de la péninsule Ibérique s'appelaient les Ibères . Mais des populations celtes, qu'on appelle les celtibères, viendront ensuite s'y agréger.

À partir du IX^e siècle avant Jésus-Christ, les Phéniciens, Grecs, Carthaginois installèrent des comptoirs sur les rivages méditerranéens.

Les Romains conquirent la péninsule au II^e siècle av. J.-C. La langue principale, la religion et les lois dérivent en grande partie de la période romaine.

Lors de la chute de l'Empire romain au V^e siècle, des barbares germaniques, les Suèves, les Vandales et les Wisigoths envahirent l'Espagne. Les Vandales, installés momentanément au sud de la péninsule passèrent rapidement en Tunisie, et les Wisigoths imposèrent leur loi jusqu'à la conquête musulmane.

Les Arabo-Berbères menés par Tariq ibn Ziyad conquirent le pays en 711. En 756, l'Espagne musulmane devint indépendante, sous le règne des Omeyyades d'Espagne. En 929, le pays se transforme en califat. Au XI^e siècle, le califat s'effondre et se fragmente en micro-états, les Taïfas (jusqu'à 25).

Les chrétiens, réfugiés dans le nord au sein du Royaume des Asturies, profitèrent de cet affaiblissement musulman et entamèrent la Reconquista - mouvement pour chasser les musulmans - qui prit fin en 1492 avec l'élimination du dernier bastion musulman, le royaume de Grenade, sous le règne des Rois catholiques, Isabelle de Castille et Ferdinand d'Aragon. À la fin de cette même année 1492, Christophe Colomb découvrit, ou redécouvrit, l'Amérique. L'unification de l'Espagne actuelle prit officiellement forme en 1512. À cette même époque, les Conquistadors s'emparèrent pour l'Espagne d'un immense empire colonial.

Pris dans l'exaltation religieuse de la Reconquista, les souverains espagnols décidèrent en 1492 de contraindre les juifs d'Espagne à choisir entre la conversion et l'exil. La plupart d'entre eux ont trouvé refuge dans l'Empire ottoman. Les musulmans restés en Espagne après la Reconquête, ou morisques, seront convertis de force dès le début de XV^e siècle, et seront finalement expulsés, suite à plusieurs révoltes, en 1609. En 1801, Madrid est parvenu à occuper le district d'Olivença (territoire Portugais) situé au sud de Badajoz. Cette revendication territoriale n’est pas éteinte.

Au XVI^e siècle, l'Espagne devient la première puissance de l'Europe. En effet, s'ajoutent à ses possessions européennes un empire colonial suite à la découverte du Nouveau Monde. L'empire espagnol s'étend de 1516 à 1898, et constitue le plus grand empire que l'Europe ait connu, ainsi qu'un des premiers empires mondiaux. Ceci est dû à la possession par l'Espagne, en Europe, des territoires aragonais dans la Méditerranée (dont une grande partie de l'Italie actuelle), ainsi que la plupart de l'Allemagne actuelle et de la Franche-Comté; d'une grande partie de l'Amérique du Sud, de l'Amérique Centrale et de l'Amérique du Nord actuelles, et des Philippines. Pendant plus d'un siècle, l'Espagne est la première puissance européenne.

Toutefois, la puissance de l'Espagne déclina progressivement en raison des guerres coûteuses qu'elle mena et des révoltes qui éclatèrent, et aussi parce qu'elle tendit à s'endormir sur les richesses tirées du Nouveau Monde et l'or facilement extrait des mines sud-américaines, qui lui conféraient alors une prospérité artificielle et sans rapport avec l'économie réelle du pays. Ce déclin fut par ailleurs dû à une inversion des richesses exploitées pour éduquer et convertir au catholicisme les peuples indigènes des territoires colonisés, d'où la majorité catholique actuelle dans l'Amérique du Sud.

En 1700, le petit-fils de Louis XIV, dont la première épouse était une infante espagnole, devint roi d'Espagne sous le nom de Philippe V, et fonda la dynastie des Bourbons rois d'Espagne, liés par le pacte de famille aux Bourbons rois de France. Voir : Maison capétienne de Bourbon.

Au XVIII^e siècle, des luttes entre les prétendants au trône affaiblirent la couronne. En 1801, Madrid est parvenu à occuper le district d'Olivença situé au sud de Badajoz, un territoire revendiqué par le Portugal depuis lors.

Au début du XIX^e siècle, Napoléon I^er tente d'envahir l'Espagne, qui est alors privée d'armée et de son roi. Cependant cette tentative échoue à cause de la résistance des civils, sous forme de nombreuses révoltes et de guérilla, à l'armée française, à l'intervention militaire britannique et à la mobilisation d'une grosse partie de la grande armée sur d'autres fronts (notamment en Russie en 1812). Malgré le retrait des troupes de Napoléon I^er, ce conflit est particulièrement sanglant et entraîne d'importantes pertes pour l'Espagne, qui ne put être pacifiée durablement.

Du fait de ces affaiblissements, l'Espagne perdit la plupart de ses colonies au XIX^e siècle, surtout à partir des années 1820.

Une Première République espagnole se mit en place brièvement en 1873 et 1874.

Les dernières colonies (Cuba, les Philippines, Porto Rico, Guam) se séparèrent de la couronne en 1898 après la guerre qui opposa l'Espagne aux États-Unis.

Quelque peu isolée du reste de l'Europe, l'Espagne stagna dans un état de relative arriération économique et politique.

La Seconde République espagnole chassa la monarchie des Bourbons en 1931. Mais, après la victoire du Front populaire espagnol en 1936, l'extrême-droite (carlistes et phalangistes) se souleva. L'Espagne fut alors soumise, après une tragique guerre civile qui dura de 1936 à 1939, à la dictature du général Franco. Celui-ci, originellement monarchiste, décida de conserver le pouvoir, et de ne faire rétablir la monarchie qu'après sa mort.

Après son décès, en 1975, la monarchie fut effectivement restaurée. Mais Juan Carlos I^er, le nouveau roi, rétablit rapidement la démocratie, et le pays intégra en 1986 l'Union européenne.

La nouvelle Constitution, très libérale, rompt avec le centralisme très poussé de l'époque franquiste, et met en place une très large décentralisation. De nombreux partis nationalistes locaux sont à nouveau légalisés, en particulier dans les provinces périphériques, où subsistent des langues régionales différentes du castillan (Galice, Pays basque, Catalogne). Certains revendiquent plus d'autonomie, d'autres parlent d'indépendance (en particulier au Pays basque et en Catalogne). Le parti communiste est aussi légalisé.

L'indépendantisme le plus radical et le plus violent est celui de l'ETA basque, organisation terroriste prônant et pratiquant la lutte armée, l'assassinat et le racket.

La réussite économique de l'Espagne des trente dernières années qui la distingue de sa sœur ibérique, induit l'idée d'un miracle économique espagnol pour en décrire son évolution contemporaine.

Politique

Depuis 1978, l'organisation politique de l'Espagne est régie par la Constitution espagnole de 1978 qui établit un régime de monarchie constitutionnelle et un État social et démocratique de droit et la pluralité des partis politiques.

Le monarque dispose de pouvoirs politiques et symboliques, définis par l'article 62 de la constitution : il est le chef de l'État et des armées, ratifie les lois, nomme le président du gouvernement, peut dissoudre le Parlement sur proposition de ce dernier. Par ailleurs (art. 56), il est le représentant de l'État espagnol dans les relations internationales, notamment vis-à-vis des liens avec le monde hispanique. L'actuel souverain est Juan Carlos I^er. Le pouvoir exécutif est néanmoins détenu par le président du gouvernement.

Le président du gouvernement (Presidente del Gobierno) (rôle comparable à celui d'un Premier ministre), est à la tête de l'exécutif pour une durée de quatre ans renouvelable. Le président du gouvernement est nommé par le roi après l'acceptation de sa candidature par le Congreso de los Diputados; il préside le Conseil des Ministres. José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero est président du gouvernement depuis mars 2008, après la victoire de son parti aux élections législatives pour la seconde fois puisqu'il fut déjà élu en 2004. Il succède à José María Aznar.

Le pouvoir législatif réside dans le Parlement (les Cortes Generales), qui constituent l'organe suprême de représentation du peuple espagnol. Il est composé d'une chambre basse, le Congrès des députés (Congreso de los Diputados, et d'une chambre haute, le Sénat (Senado). Le Congrès des députés compte 350 membres élus pour quatre ans au suffrage direct. Le Sénat est constitué de 248 membres dont 208 directement élus et 40 désignés par les régions.

Les élections se déroulent normalement tous les 4 ans. Les dernières élections générales eurent lieu en mars 2008.

L'Espagne est membre de l'OTAN et de l'Union européenne.

Nana Mouskouri - La Paloma

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Sortilegio

José Luis Encinas - Sortilegio

Arthur Rimbaud

D'un gradin d'or, - parmi les cordons de soie, les gazes grises, les velours verts et les disques de cristal qui noircissent come du bronze au soleil, - je vois la digitale s'ouvrir sur un tapis de filigranes d'argent, d'yeux et de chevelures.
Des pièces d'or jaune semées sur l'agate, des piliers d'acajou supportant un dôme d'émeraudes, des bouquets de satin blanc et de fines verges de rubis entournent la rose d'eau.
Tels qu'un dieu aux énormes yeux bleus et aux formes de neige, la mer et le ciel attirent aux terrasses de marbre la foule des jeunes et fortes roses.

Paul Verlaine

Clair de lune - Claude Debussy

Va, chanson, à titre-d'aile
Au-devant d'elle, et dis-lui
Bien que dans mon coeur fidèle
Un rayon joyeux a lui,

Dissipant, lumière sainte,
Ces ténèbres de l'amour :
Méfiance, doute, crainte,
Et que voici le grand jour !

Longtemps craintive et muette,
Entendez-vous?
La gaîté,
Comme une vive alouette,
Dans le ciel clair a chanté.

Va donc, chanson ingénue,
Et que, sans nul regret vain,
Elle soit la bienvenue
Celle qui revient enfin.

Paul Verlaine

La dure épreuve va finir La dure épreuve va finir: Mon coeur, souris à l'avenir. Ils sont passés les jours d'alarmes Où j'étais triste jusqu'aux larmes. Ne suppute plus les istants, Mon âme, encore un peu de temps. J'ai lu les paroles amères Et banni les sombres chimères. Mes yeux exilés de la voir De par un douloureux devoir, Mon oreille avide d'entrende Les notes d'or de sa voix tendre, Tout mon être et tout mon amour Acclament le bienheureux jour Où, seul rêve et seule pensée, Me reviendra la fiancée!

Poeme d'automne

Les roses sont faites pour mourrir Sous le corps d'un rayon de soleil de novembre Aux soupirs rayonnant de plaisir A rendre jaloux septembre et decembre... Les roses sont faites pour mourir A l'automne de fleurs tremblantes Que le temps en terre laisse deperir Sans regard pour leur grace tremblante... Avant de mourir dans l'austère saison Sacrifiées par la froideur d'un soleil enrhumé Privé de ses rayons s'enfuyant dans l'horizon

Emilie Simon - Desert

Hermann Hesse

Vieni con me!
Devi affrettarti però -
sette lunghe miglia
io faccio ad ogni passo.
Dietro il bosco ed il colle
aspetta il mio cavallo rosso.
Vieni con me! Afferro le redini -
vieni con me nel mio castello rosso.
Lì crescono alberi blu
con mele d'oro,
là sogniamo sogni d'argento,
che nessun altro può sognare.
Là dormono rari piaceri,
che nessuno finora ha assaggiato,
sotto gli allori baci purpurei -
Vieni con me per boschi e colli!
tienti forte! Afferro le redini,
e tremando il mio cavallo ti rapisce.

Memories - Barbra Streisand

T´adore

Mon amie je pense à toi,
A ta couleur de soleil à ta grace.

La maison est vide depuis que mon rayon de soleil
Est allé se plonger dans la mer.

Si tu vois les sous-marins
Dis-leur que je t'aime.

Si les nauges s'accumulent
Dis-leur que je t'adore.

Si la tempete fait rage contre les rocs du rivage
Dis-leur que tu es ma pierre précieuse.

Si quelque grain de sable brille entre les mille grains
de sable de la plage
Dis-lui que tu es la seule gemme que j'aime.

Quand tu verras le facteur
Dis-lui avec quelle impatience j'attends tes lettres.

Je t'envoie mille baisers mille caresses
Qui te rejoindront comme les mots rejoignent
l'antenne de la télégraphie sans fil.

Si tu vois des blessés
Dis-leur que ma seule blessure est celle que tu as faite
à mon coeur.

Si tu penses parfois songe que ma pensée est toujours
avec toi.

Et que je t'adore.

Ricardo Asensio

RICARDO ASENSIO nato a Valencia (SPAGNA) nel 1949. Artisticamente si è formato lavorando nella città di ROMA, BARCELONA e VALENCIA, conseguendo numerosi premi in importanti e prestigiosi concorsi Internazionali di pittura, collettive ed esposizioni personali, per citarne alcuni: nel 1979 finalista per la pittura alla Accademia di Spagna in ROMA, 1981 Premio "Villa Alessandra", selezionato per i suoi di ritratti...

Nel resto del mondo: Menzione d'Onore al Salone d'Inverno di NEW YORK, Menzione d'Onore al Museo delle Americhe in FLORIDA...

Prestigioso ritrattista di intellettuali e personaggi illustri, è un artista impegnato continuamente nella innovazione della pittura. La sua opera inizia in un primo momento nella rappresentazione nettamente figurativa, concentrata nella figurazione di personalità dello spettacolo, della cultura e della politica, esprimendosi anche nei paesaggi raggiungendo una perfezione pittorica pari alla fotografia, utilizzando semplicemente i suoi colori ad olio e pastelli sapientemente mescolati dando forza nelle sobrie tonalità delle sue composizioni a tutto tondo. Coerente nella sua opera e con una tecnica che lo identifica e lo distacca dal panorama internazionale. Famosissimi i ritratti di personaggi come il Premio Nobel Camilo José Cela, lo scrittore drammaturgo Antonio Buero Vallejo, la Principessa Beatrice d´Orleans, Marisa di Borbon, le attrici Virna Lisi e Dalila Di Lazzaro, Kim Novak, Faye Dunaway, Brooke Shields ...

Le sue opere sono visibili in musei d'arte contemporanea, collezioni private e pubbliche in Spagna, Francia, Germania e nel resto dell'Europa come anche negli Stati Uniti e sud America.

"Premio Controvento" ROMA, 1982. "Medaglia al Merito" Trofeo Internazionale "Medusa Aurea" ROMA, 1996. Premio "Villa Serravalle", FIRENZE 1997. "Gran Collare D´Argento" Palinuro nel mondo. Premio "Antiqua Firenze" e il "Oscar de la Cultura", 2001, FIRENZE. "Gran Premio Italia", 2003. Premio "La Dea Alata" FIRENZE, 2003. "Medaglia d´Oro" Trofeo "Medusa Aurea" XXVI edizione, ROMA, 2003 Accademia Internazionale D´Arte Moderna. "Gran Premio Maremma" Copa Costa D´Argento della Toscana. "Gran Premio Città di FIRENZE" 2003 Accademia "Il Marzocco". 1º Premio "Costa Toscana" IV Bienale d´Italia. 1ºPremio "Europa" 2004 TORINO. 1º Premio S. Ambrogio D´Oro 2004 ,MILANO. Gran Collare Accademico, ROMA 2004. Gran Premio Europa Art "Mediolanum" 2005, MILANO. Premio Canova " Medaglia d´Oro " Accademia Universale Antonio Canova. 1ºPremio Concorso Internazionale d'Arte "Sprigiona la Fantasia" TORINO, 2005. Oscar delle Arti, Accademico ad Honorem per l'Ordine "Michelangelo Buonarroti" Accademia Internazionale SANTARITA, TORINO. 1º Premio "Festival Hans Christian Andersen" in suo Bicentenario, COPENHAGEN (Denmark), Premio "Donatello 2006", Premio "La Dea Alata " 2006, FIRENZE (Italia), Premio "Coppa Mundis", ITALIA. Premio "Rembrandt 2006", per il 400° anniversario della nascita del pittore olandese.
"Premio SEVER a la carrera", Centro Culturale Internazionale D´Arte Sever, MILANO. Coppa Accademia "Artista anno 2007" Accademia Severiade, MILANO. Premio alla Cultura "Omaggio a Giosuè Carducci" nel centenario. 2007 Centro Molisano La Conca, ROMA. Grand Prix International "URBS MUNDI" 2008. Targa Sever D´Oro 2009, Centro Culturale Internazionale D´Arte Sever, MILANO. Premio Internazionale NOBEL dell´Arte 2009, MILANO Italia. Premio "Leonardo Da Vinci" 2009, "Premio Universale" 2009 , FIRENZE.

* Académique de Mérite dell´Accademia Italiana "Gli Etruschi".
* Accademico per la Accademia Internazionale "Il Marzocco", FIRENZE.
* Accademico ad Honorem per l'Ordine "Michelangelo Buonarroti" Accademia Internazionale "Santarita", TORINO.
* Accademico per la Accademia Internazionale "Greci Marino". Accademico di Verbania.
* Accademico della Accademia Universale "Antonio Canova". ITALIA