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HEADED TO BARCELONA
SUMMER 2016 AICSUSA.ORG
Hellena Cardus Publisher AICS President Summer 2016
Welcome to the Summer 2016 edition of CATALONIA, a quarterly publication by AICS (American Institute of Catalan Studies) which is based in the mega metropolis Houston, Texas. This is the 10th edition which over the past 2 years has grown and expanded over several continents and consists of the following principal collaborators: Hellena Cardús, AICS President, V.P. of North America FIEC (Federation of Catalan Entities), CATALONIA Publisher Roslyn Smith, AICS Cultural Arts Chairperson, Editor in Chief, CATALONIA Jordi Guillem, AICS Vice President, Senior Writer, CATALONIA Mayte Duarte Seguer, AICS Cultural Liaison, Interviewer and Senior Writer CATALONIA Gonçal Mayos, Senior Writer, CATALONIA If you are interested in becoming a Sponsor for CATALONIA magazine, please contact: Jordi Guillem jguillem@cataloniamagazine.com For more information regarding AICS or CATALONIA Magazine, visit our Facebook Page and our website AICSUSA.org Share the Experience! Hellena Cardús hcardús@cataloniamagazine.com
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Roslyn Smith
Editor-in-Chief AICS Cultural Arts Chairperson
Summer 2016
CATALONIA LINKS On the cover: Bellesguard "Beautiful View", also known as Casa Figueres, is a modernist manor house designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí, which was constructed between 1900 and 1909. It is located at the Sarrià-Sant Gervasi district of Barcelona in Catalonia. The ground on which Bellesguard stands on had been the residence belonging to King Martin the Humane and count of Barcelona.
CATALONIA FACTS ° Population, 7·6 million people (like Switzerland) ° Surface area: 32,114 km2 (bigger than Belgium) ° GDP: €204,000 million (like Denmark) ° Over 10 million people speak Catalan in Spain, France and Italy (more than Swedish for example). ° Catalonia’s Government has had 129 Presidents to date. Its first Constitution dates back to the 13th century.
Don’t forget to like us on Facebook.com/CataloniaMagazine rsmith@cataloniamagazine.com
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CONTENTS
CATALONIA 3 PUBLISHER’S NOTE
12 INDUSTIRAL EMPLOYMENT 13 RECIPE COCA DE SANT JOAN
14 HUMAN RIGHTS
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CATALONIA DOSSIER BY JOAN GOMIS
18 KING MARTIN THE HUMANE INSTITUT D’ESTUDIS CATALANS
31 CATALONIA EN CATALÀ COVER ART | CABAYOL
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CATALONIA MAGAZINE is published quarterly by AICS- American Institute for Catalan Studies . Contact: aicsusa.org Publisher Hellena Cardus hcardus@cataloniamagazine.com Editor-in-Chief Roslyn Smith rsmith@cataloniamagazine.com Senior Writer Jordi Guillem jguillem@cataloniamagazine.com © 2016 CATALONIA MAGAZINE. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. Printed in the U.S.
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CATALONIA
CATALONIA GRABS 71% OF ALL FOREIGN VENTURE CAPITAL INVESTMENT
CATALAN ECONOMY Spain’s tech business is largely dependent on foreign capital, which last year accounted for 44 per cent of all investment in the sector. Spain’s Association for Capital, Growth and Investment (ASCRI) published a report indicating that 71 per cent of all that cash went to business ventures located in Catalonia. Specifically, Catalonia drew in €277.2m from international venture capital investment funds in 2015, over twice as much as the previous year and well above Madrid, the second Spanish region that obtained the most foreign capital, with a total of €89.7m Catalonia is the most attractive region for investors According to the report, Spanish start-ups received a total of €659.4m from both public funds as well as accelerators and incubators, venture capital funds and corporations. Catalonia grabbed 56 per cent of the total investment volume (€371m) and 33 per cent of all operations. Therefore, Catalonia is Spain’s most attractive region for investors and this is further confirmed by analyzing what investment choices are made by international risk capital entities. These accounted for 44 per cent of all cash invested in the sector (€290m), 71 per cent of which went to Catalonia. In terms of number of operations, the figure drops to 53 per cent, which indicates that operations in Catalonia were generally more substantial. As for the funds lured from Spanish venture capital companies, Catalonia took the top position again albeit with a shorter lead. Last year, 106 such operations took place in Catalonia, out a total of 286: that is 37 per cent of the total number. In terms of investment volume, Catalonia got €48.8m from Spanish venture capital funds, which is 41 per cent of the total amount and ten points higher than Madrid, which received €63.9m or 31 per cent. Although the report concludes that 2015 saw particularly strong growth in investment rounds in advanced projects —precisely thanks to international capital—, Catalonia was also a favorite with agents who channel earlystage investment rounds. This is known as “seed investment”, which is carried out through incubators and accelerators. In this case, ASCRI mentions the two investment networks that belong to Barcelona business schools Esade and Iese, as well as Crowdtube —the Barcelona-based crowd funding company—. Other efforts highlighted in the report are the network Capital Cell, the “equity crowd funding” fund endorsed by Catalonia Trade and Investment (ACCIÓ) that specializes in biotechnology; Bstart Up, owned by Banc Sabadell; Wayra, Telefónica’s accelerator based in Barcelona, and the Kic Innoenergy, an international project whose Spanish chapter is located in the Catalan capital.
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Amazon to build a logistics center in Barcelona and create 1,500 jobs The company’s investment project has received the support of the Catalan Government via Catalonia Trade & Investment and INCASÒL The new logistics facilities are expected to start operations in the autumn of 2017 Amazon will hire workers with varying profiles; from operational managers, engineers, human resources and IT personnel to those professionals responsible for preparing customer’s orders in the logistics center in El Prat de Llobregat, near Barcelona airport. The company’s new facility will cover an area of over 60,000 m2 (equivalent to approximately eight soccer fields). The fact that the city is close to key locations in southern Europe as well the access to an excellent pool of local talent were the main reasons behind Amazon’s decision to locate its second Spanish mainland logistics center in Barcelona. "Over the last three years we have created more than 500 permanent jobs in our Madrid logistics center and today we are pleased to announce that in the coming years up to 1,500 new workers will join our fantastic team in the new Barcelona logistics center" explains Fred Pattje, General Manager of Amazon Fulfillment Spain. "We want to thank the authorities, both in Catalonia and in Prat for their support and their professionalism. I am convinced that this investment will benefit both our customers and the local economy as it will create new jobs and give SMEs and small local businesses the ability to easily access millions of customers across Europe through one of the world’s most modern logistics networks." "The location of this logistics center is not accidental. We have highly prepared territorial assets: the Port of Barcelona, the airport, the business sectors of the Llobregat delta. This Amazon investment is intrinsically connected to the Mediterranean corridor and strengthens strategic economic sectors such as logistics, which today have a high added value. It is also connected to our commitment to promote and accommodate new forms of modern and innovative commerce, which in turn complement our traditional businesses and SMEs." says Carles Puigdemont, President of the Government of Catalonia. "This investment must be a win-win for Amazon and for Catalonia. It is an opportunity to strengthen the economy and create quality jobs."
This new infrastructure in Barcelona will be part of Amazon’s European logistics network, made up of more than 29 centers in seven different countries. And, along with the facilities of San Fernando de Henares (Madrid), it will help Amazon to meet current and future demand of its customers, not only in Spain, where more and more families use Amazon.es to make online purchases, but throughout all Europe. Both centers will ensure that Amazon customers enjoy the same fast and reliable service they are used to anywhere in the world, especially over Christmas, the time of the year with most sales.
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CATALONIA
DESTINATION
Platja del Prat
Teatre Grec
Platja del Prat has a length of 3.4 miles stretching from the mouth of the Llobregat river to pond Remolar. Of these 3.4 miles, 3 are suitable for social use. It is a very quiet getaway. Part of the coast is bordered by the forest of Can Camins. On the beach there is the Center Municipal de Vela, a municipal facility dedicated to water sports and the CRAM, the Center for Recovery of Marine Animals. So the beach combines public use with the conservation of natural value, a task that recognizes the Natura 2000 network of protection.
Teatre Grec (Greek Theater) is an open-air theater which offers performances from June to August. Nowadays, the majority of the performances occur during the annual theater festival, called Grec. Founded in 1976, Festival Grec aims to promote new stage productions by local and international directors and is considered one of the most prestigious theater events in Catalonia. The shows are held in a Greek-style amphitheater, situated among marvelous gardens. The natural surroundings add a peculiar aesthetic charm to the venue, which was created especially for Barcelona’s International Exposition in 1929.
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CATALONIA
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CATALONIA
PRESS RELEASE
http://www.catalonia.com/en/newsletter_news/ news/2016/catalan-industry-2015.jsp
The growth of industrial employment in Catalonia doubles and is at a 10-year high 06-29-2016
Industrial employment in Catalonia grew 4.3% in 2015, doubling last year’s figures, and reaching a 10-year high, while also being far above than the Eurozone average (0.4%) (Figure 1). These figures come from the Annual Report on Catalan Industry 2015, compiled by the Directorate-General for Industry and have been presented by the Minister for Business and Knowledge, Jordi Baiget, in a government control session in the Catalan Parliament. This rise in employment has helped cut industrial unemployment last year by 15.2%, the best figures since 1999 and higher than overall Spanish figures (13.3%) (Figure 2). The report shows that if 2014 was the year in which the Catalan industry began to grow, in 2015 it pressed the accelerator. This is evidenced by positive development shown by most economic indicators, such as industrial climate, industrial investment, industrial production and exports. Industrial activity and business confidence on the increase in Catalonia The increase in industrial activity has been the highest in the last five years: industrial GVA increased by 2.7% , one point above the Eurozone (1.8%) while the Industrial Production Index (IPI) grew 2.6% last year. These positive results went hand in hand with a greater level of business confidence, as measured by the Industrial Climate Indicator, the highest in the last eight years with a growth of up 5 points over last year. Looking at month by month data, it can be seen that the trend was for constant growth throughout the whole year. Industrial investment shows the largest increase in 15 years Due to increased business confidence, industrial investment in Catalonia rose by 12.2% in 2015. This is the most dramatic growth since 2000, experienced by both large companies (18.6%) and SMEs (7.1%). These figures contrast with the drop experienced in Spain (-1.5%) and the modest increase in the Eurozone (5%). Regarding the purpose of these investments, it is noteworthy that 33.1% of the total was spent on expanding capacity. Foreign investments in industry also grew significantly, 51.4% compared to 2014, and represented 26.9% of total foreign investment in Catalonia. They also represent 22.9% of foreign industrial investments in Spain. In terms of exports, 2015 saw a growth of 6.1%, the highest rate of change since 2012 (Figure 8). Sales abroad came to a total of €63.860M, and the fastest growing sector (+ 10.5%) was the high-technology content sector (office machinery, computers, electronics, pharmaceuticals, etc.), with Catalan exports in this sector coming to 28.5% of Spain’s figures. In terms of export destinations, the increase in exports to the USA (20.6%), boosted by a favorable euro currency exchange, is noteworthy.
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COCA DE SANT JOAN The night of June 23rd, or Sant Joan as it is known in Catalonia, is an immense festival, beyond question a standout amongst the most customary and prevalent among the occasions celebrated there. Since antiquated circumstances, exactly at the landing of the late spring solstice on the night of June 21st, individuals have invited in the hotter climate with festivities of flame, the custom blazes expending all as an indication of resurrection and reestablished life.
Ingredients
300 g flour 175 g butter 150 g pine nuts 40 g sugar 15 g yeast 50 ml milk ½ c/c salt 3 eggs coarse sugar to decorate candied orange candied lemon
What's more, as on numerous other unique Catalan days, there is extraordinary sustenance to go with it—the coca de Sant Joan. Sweet flatbreads are made in all shapes and sizes, with coated fruit and pine nuts, and traditional Catalan custard.
Preparation Heat the milk at 40ºC and then stir in the yeast. Add the sugar and salt. Combine 225 g of flour with the milk until you get an homogenous dough. Cover the mixture with a clean cloth and let it ferment for half an hour—it should double in size. In a separate mixing-bowl, whisk the soft butter and stir in the mixture. Then, add the beaten eggs and the remaining flour. Stir well. Work the mass for a couple of minutes or until the dough no longer sticks to your fingers. With your hands, form it into the typical long oval shape of a ‘coca’, and make it about one centimeter thick. Next, lay the cake on a greased oven tray and leave the dough for 2 hours at room temperature. Heat the oven at 175ºC. Brush the cake with a mixture of oil and melted butter. Arrange the pieces of candied fruit, pine nuts and coarse sugar on the top. Bake it for 30 minutes. Serve with chilled cava.
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CATALONIA
HUMAN RIGHTS
Catalonia Dossier 1988 By Joan Gomis PRESIDENT JUSTICIA I PAU
On December 10th 1948 , the United Nations issued the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, driven by the desire to contrast a better world, with more justice and a greater respect for human dignity. The experience of various segments of Catalan society during the years of the Franco dictatorship, in support of national and human rights, was a valuable preparation which has meant that now, in the present democratic situation, there are a number of initiatives aimed at the defense and promotion of human rights. These initiatives do not only operate in the field of Catalan society, but extend the solidarity around the world, either directly of through international organizations. In the pages that follow, the reader will find information about the movements and organizations behind them.
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THE WORK IN SUPPORT OF HUMAN RIGHTS
IN CATALONIA THERE ARE A NUMBER OF ORGANIZATIONS, OLD AND NEW LAIC AND CONFESSIONAL, EITHER BORN HERE OR LINKED TO INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS, THAT HAVE BUILT UP A NETWORK OF ASSOCIATIONS IN THE FIELD OF THE DEFENCE OF HUMAN, CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS. It is a well-known fact that the recent history of human rights begins at the end of the seventeenth century with the drawing up of the declaration of independence of the United States and the successive declarations of human and civil rights during the time of the French Revolution. But those who have taken an interest in the history of the Spanish state know that there is a statement that has been frequently repeated, almost down to the present time: that Spain had not yet lived the French Revolution. And here is a great deal of truth to the statement, since during the nineteenth century and a good part of the twentieth, the only attempts that were mode to introduce democratic politics into these lands, that is to say the exercise of human rights, or at any rate those related to politics or culture, were generally speaking quickly suppressed. Throughout this long, despotic night, the situation in this respect was especially serious in Catalonia, within the general situation in he Spanish state. She saw her national identity denied, and even worse, persecuted, along with her right to defend it, and the right to use her own Language in public. During the last decades of this period, under he Franco regime, Catalonia's collective rights suffered the sort of treatment one would expect from any dictatorship, made worse in this case by the fact that the regime mode Spanish nationalism one of the main tenets. But in those not so far off days there were still a number of examples of the defense of all those human rights that were forbidden or stifled in Catalonia. Broad sectors of the population, from clandestine political parties to cultural organizations, took part in these activities, which became increasingly frequent as the years went by, and which had the support of part of the Catholic church. This series of actions, almost always he object of retaliations, or at the very leas+, of obstructionist measures, where sometimes spectacular, often inconspicuous, and are the pride of the Catalan society of those years and a lesson in the promotion and defense of human rights. The situation changed after the death of Franco and during the difficult period of transition to democracy, with the arrival and recognition of he principles of the French Revolution. Catalonia, often with the feverishness that comes from anxious waiting, lives the opening of the roads to freedom with mass demonstrations, some as unforgettable as that of September 11th -the Catalan national holiday- in 1977. After the previous, brief interludes, especially that of the Second Spanish Republic, Catalonia started on an era of normality in he history of human rights. This normality does not imply the existence of a complete or perfect respect for human rights, either here or, in al1 certainty, anywhere else, though in each case degrees and characteristics may differ. What it does mean is that we are working within a legal framework hot recognizes human rights as a basic philosophy common to al1 developed countries. At the head d this incomplete and sometimes fragile normality is the defense of the national rights of Catalonia. AICSUSA.ORG | CATALONIA | 15
CATALONIA
Spain's constitution establishes the country as a 'state of autonomies' in an attempt to solve her plurinationality. This is not the occasion for an examination of the history and characteristics of Catalonia's 1979 statute of autonomy, and naturally the Catalan political parties vary in their opinion of it, but ten years after the institutionalization of autonomy, they have all accepted it and most of them, though with widely varying formulae, advocate an increase in the powers of the Catalan autonomous government, so often at odds with the central government, which, like al1 governments, jealously guards against possible rivals. What is important now is that the national rights of Catalonia have, to a certain extent, been recognized and quite frequently defended, even by broad sectors of the immigrant, Castilianspeaking population, who, in general, tend to demand a greater, more comfortable recognition of those rights. But alongside these collective political and cultural rights there are individuals who need special care and attention. There are also many people whose financial and social rights, quite apart from the public institutions of any democratic society and here we should mention the Sindic de Greuges, the Catalan ombudsman-, also need other, private channels by which to protect those rights that the authorities sometimes tend to forget. Over the last few years a great number of organizations have been present in Catalonia -some of them already established or heirs to previous, similar organizations, others new, several laic, some confessional, some born here, others linked to international organizations- that have begun to create a network of associations in the field of the defense of human, civil and political rights. While not pretending to give a complete list, one could mention certain professional associations -in particular, logically, the Collegi d'Advocafs-, the lnstitute for Human Rights, the United Nations Association, the Centre UNESCO, Amnesty International, JustĂcia i Pau, and other, more modest initiatives working, for example, for the rights of the detained or in social rehabilitation, for the rights of refugees from other countries, affected here by immigration laws that leave much to be desired, in the defense of conscientious objectors opposed to compulsory military service, also at the mercy of a law that has many deplorable points, or for the rights of prisoners of conscience in any country. In Catalonia, as in almost all industrial societies of our time, there are also people who suffer financial hardships, and whose numbers are growing thanks to the unemployment that marks the age we live in; this is the so-called fourth world. For them, the fine words of the present Spanish constitution regarding rights are mere rhetoric, not to say sarcasm. These growing social groups, who usually fail to benefit from the work of the public institutions, and are forgotten by neo-liberalism, have motivated the often admirable task of a series of organizations, some already existing, many of them new ones, that try to attend to the trampled rights of all these people, starting with the basic right to be properly fed and to be housed with the minimum of decency. Carifas, AcciĂł Solidaria contra I'Afur, the recent Funda- ciĂł Familia i Benesfar Social, and many others that prefer the anonymity of their day to day work to noisy publicity. This assistance, which should obviously not make our society's leaders forget the political and economic action that must be taken against the causes of poverty, is an- other aspect of the work in defense of human rights in Catalonia today.
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CATALONIA
In the field of non-governmental organizations, there is the whole range of the so-called third generation rights, the realm of solidarity, although it is often difficult to draw a distinction, and many of the organizations mentioned work in different areas. But mention must be made of specific activities in support of peace, such as those of the Fundaciรณ per la Pau, the International University of Sant Cugat or Pax Chrisfi, and the many pacifist groups that showed their strength on the occasion of the NATO referendum. Attention should be drawn to the remarkable work of organizations for co-operation in development. Ten or twelve years ago, work in support of the rights of the peoples of the Third World was limited to a handful of active organizations -Mans Unides, Missiรณ i Desenvolupament, Agermanament...-, and today, the Catalunya Solidaria campaign, part of the Council of Europe's campaign for interdependence and NorthSouth solidarity, is organized by twenty-four Catalan organizations who are active in this field. In no way does this mean that Catalan society or its institutions are examples of awareness of these priority problems; but at least it is a favorable sign of their growing interest. All these networks of associations, helped by a proper, normal legal system that is tolerant if no more, are still something young, not yet fully formed, something that is just starting out and does not yet reach al1 sectors of society. In a country like Catalonia, with its tradition of fighting for its rights, there are a lot of people who try to make an effective contribution to the job of promoting and defending human rights which, recognized in theory but in practice demanded, have been handed down to us al1 at once: the first, second and third generation of rights. It is therefore evident that those men and women of Catalonia who, coming from a range of ideological families, coincide in giving top priority to the fundamental dignity of al1 human beings and their resulting rights, will not be short of work. But it is also clear, from the examples of countries with a longer history of political democracy, that for a democracy to be fully alive, alongside truly representative public institutions, it needs networks of non-governmental associations that collaborate to ensure that the advancement of human rights does not take place only at the level of fine -and often unkept- words. In this field too, Catalonia is prepared to face the future, and will always be so.
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CATALONIA
HISTORY
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CATALONIA
Josep M. Palau i Baduell* Historical Consulting Office Institut d’Estudis Catalans
The year 2010 marked the six hundredth anniversary of the death of King Martin I of Aragon, also known as Martin the Humane, the last king in the Barcelona dynasty (1396-1410). He was a distinguished king who brought Sicily into the Crown of Catalonia and Aragon and undertook an expedition to Sardinia which ultimately led to total dominion over the island. Nevertheless, in the last years of his life he was lacking the forces he needed to pacify the factional infighting in Valencia and Aragon. The monarch’s main mistake was not having named a successor upon the death of his son, his only legitimate heir, which unleashed an institutional crisis and the last enthronement of a Castilian dynasty. To commemorate King Martin, the History-Archaeology Section of the IEC, in conjunction with the Spanish National Research Council,** organized an international conference entitled Martin the Humane, the Last King in the Barcelona Dynasty (1396-1410): The Interregnum and the Compromise of Caspe. This conference was held at the headquarters of the Institut d’Estudis Catalans (IEC) in Barcelona from the 31st of May to the 4th of June 2010. The conference was divided into eight main sections categorizing the 30 lectures and seven papers about King Martin delivered by the diverse international experts over the course of the week. The opening session featured a welcome by IEC President Salvador Giner and a keynote lecture by Maria Teresa Ferrer, Scientific Coordinator of the conference, who spoke about the figure of Martin the Humane and his reign.
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The First section, “The Government of the Kingdoms”, entailed a brief survey of the political situation in the different kingdoms within the Crown of Catalonia and Aragon during Martin’s Day. First of all, in his lecture entitled “The Government of the Kingdoms: The Legal System of Catalonia”, Tomàs de Montagut from the Universitat Pompeu Fabra and the IEC analyzed aspects of Martin the Humane’s reign related to the political constitution and the law of the Crown of Aragon, as well as the legal and political significance and the regulations produced by the Courts of Perpignan, Sant Cugat del Vallès and Barcelona held between 1405 and 1410. After an introduction to the political and legal aspects of the courts, Montagut conducted a study of the legal system in place in Catalonia during the reign of King Martin and the reforms of this system by the Catalan Courts. He compared the drafts and the regulations that were ultimately approved. Montagut concluded his talk with several opinions by jurist Tomàs Mieres (1400-1474) on the meaning of the courts of Martin the Humane, stressing that the regulations issued by these courts was an essential milestone in validating Catalonia’s political constitution based on the rule of law and legal pactism. In his talk entitled “The Government of the Territory and Factions”, Flocel Sabaté from the Universitat de Lleida analysed how the land was organized in the different kingdoms. He stressed the importance of the municipalities in politics given the legal fragmentation of the Crown. In this context, Professor Sabaté highlighted each municipality’s reaction aimed at its own benefit, and he stressed that this was not incompatible with the fact that they were internally divided into factions. These factions ended up characterizing all late mediaeval politics and can be seen in the division of municipal power. This factional system was even more evident once the crisis of succession broke out.
In her talk “The Courts and the Generalitat de Catalunya”, Maria Teresa Ferrer of the IEC and the Institució Milà i Fontanals explained the content of the parliaments which we are aware were held during the reign of Martin the Humane between 1396 and 1397. However, some authors believe that they constituted a single court aimed at preparing Catalonia’s defense against the threat posed by the Count of Foix. She also discussed the 1400 parliament held in Tortosa to discuss the defense of Sardinia and the sea routes. Professor Ferrer mentioned that the absence of the King, who was in Sicily, prevented the courts from meeting. The only general court was the Perpignan-Sant Cugat-Barcelona one held from 1406 to 1410, which never concluded due to the monarch’s death. There, the legality of the cavalry branch was discussed and the king secured aid to help fight against the Arborea Kingdom on Sicily. The talk also addressed the vicissitudes of the Generalitat de Catalunya, founded just a few years earlier (1359) during the reign of Peter the Ceremonious. In his talk entitled “The Courts and the Government of Aragon during the Reign of King Martin the Humane”, Esteban Sarasa from the Universidad de Zaragoza studied the courts and the government of Aragon, the Diputación del General. The courts were only convened twice in the Kingdom of Aragon: specifically, in Zaragoza in 1398 and 1400, where the grievances submitted to the monarch were discussed, and in Maella in 1404, which revealed the concern with the public and private order and the importance of drawing up a population census for taxation and revenue purposes. Sarasa stressed that the courts of Aragon followed the same dynamics as
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the preceding courts, especially the ones of Peter the Ceremonious, and dealt with the same concerns and difficulties that would later continue in the Interregnum. Nevertheless, the results were favorable for the kingdom in terms of governance issues, territorial administration, taxation and the institutions of the Diputación del General in Aragon. In a similar vein, in her talk entitled “The Courts and the Generalitat Valenciana during the Reign of Martin the Humane”, Rosa Muñoz from the Universitat de València analyzed the courts of Valencia held between 1401 and 1407. The goal of the courts was, in the words of the monarch himself, to fulfil the code of law, resolve grievances and secure revenues to redeem the royal assets. These courts were marked by social conflicts and the economic hardships arising from the expansionist policy of Peter the Ceremonious and John I’s poor oversight. Professor Muñoz stressed that the importance of these courts lay in their consolidation of the structure of the Generalitat Valenciana, even though it did not gain solid ground as a permanent entity until 1418, along with the creation of a 32-member commission (eight per branch and eight on behalf of the king) which was later dissolved in 1407 when the courts were brought to an end once the new code of law and the expansion of contributions had been approved. The paper by Josep Alanyà from the Diocesan Archive of Tortosa entitled “The Governance of Martin the Humane in the Territory of the Bishopric of Tortosa” studied the records of King Martin’s governance in the diocese of Tortosa, including the ones that reveal the monarch’s concern with the status of Tortosa’s church as a result of the Western Schism, as well as the records that show the social problems of the day and provide us with an overview of society and the church in Tortosa between 1350 and 1410. In their paper entitled “The Petty Nobility’s Intervention in the Courts of Aragon during the Reign of Martin I”, Juan Abella and Mario Lafuente, members of the CEMA Group at the Universidad de Zaragoza, set forth the characteristics of the petty nobility that attended the Courts of Zaragoza and Maella in 1398-1400 and 1404, respectively, by analyzing the typology and examining the votes and grievances submitted by this social class. The paper by Isabel Sánchez de Movellán from the Universidad a Distancia de Madrid entitled “The Administration of Justice in the 15th Century” studied the different attempts at reform of the administration of justice in the Principality of Catalonia through the trials of the courts held between 1405 and 1437. Sánchez stressed that the majority of proposals came from the branches and that most of them failed at first, although they were gradually implemented in the long term. The second section of the conference was entitled “The Royal Assets, Taxation”, and it encompassed the lectures and papers that discussed the monarch’s treasury and assets. In his talk entitled “The Administration of the Royal Assets and the Recovery of Transferred Assets”, Enric Guinot from the IEC and the Universitat de València analysed the royal assets, which had been depleted since Peter the Ceremonious given the economic crisis which led the monarchs to transfer part of their assets in the desperate quest for money to benefit the nobility. This transfer consisted mainly of the sale of royal rights and the seigneurialisation of royal villages. Professor Guinot also stressed the tentative recovery of these assets during the reign of Martin the Humane, oftentimes at the cost of the inhabitants of the transferred localities.
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CATALONIA
In his paper entitled “The Municipal Treasury of the Kingdom of Mallorca at the Turn of the Century (13901410)”, Ricard Urgell from the Archive of the Kingdom of Mallorca studied the treasury in the Kingdom of Mallorca between 1390 and 1410. He stressed its relationship with the attack on the Jewish quarter in 1391, the creation of an administrator of common currencies, a rise in municipal taxation through the creation of new taxes, the desire to control the administration of public debt, the presence of factions and the audit of accounts in 1406. The third section, entitled “The Consolidation of Power in the Central Mediterranean”, featured international experts who analyzed the power struggles in Sicily and Sardinia. In his talk “A Kingdom for Martin, Duke of Montblanc and his Children: The Restoration of Queen Maria of Sicily”, Henri Bresc from the Université Paris X (Paris-Nanterre) examined the motives behind the marriage of Maria of Sicily, the daughter of Constance of Aragon, and Martin the Younger, the son of Martin the Humane, and its consequences on the political situation in the Kingdom of Sicily. He stressed how Queen Maria of Sicily was the legitimate ruler of the Sicily, the heir to a long struggle against the Anjou dynasty yet a kingdom without a king. Within this context, Professor Bresc stressed that Martin the Younger was both the perfect link between his father Martin the Humane’s aspirations to rule the island and the political legitimacy that Maria of Sicily was seeking. In her lecture entitled “The Struggle against the Arboreas in Sardinia: The Expedition of Martin the Younger (1408-1409) and the End of the Giudicato”, Luisa d’Arienzo from the Università di Cagliari examined the status of studies on relations between the Crown of Aragon and the Arborea Court between the 13th and 15th centuries based on the bull issued by Pope Boniface VIII in 1297, in which the Pope created the Regnum Sardiniae et Corsicae and enfeoffed King James II of Aragon. Professor Arienzo conducted an in-depth analysis of the infighting on the island of Sardinia between the Arboreas and the other courts, as well as the alliance that William II forged with the anti-Catalans, later to be defeated by Martin the Younger in 1409 in the Battle of Sanluri. The fourth section, entitled “International Politics”, was devoted to international politics during the reign of King Martin the Humane. With his lecture entitled “The Western Schism in the Politics of King Martin”, Prim Bertran from the Universitat de Barcelona studied the relations between King Martin and Pope Benedict XIII within the Western Schism. In his talk, he particularly spotlighted the evolution in relations between the Catalan court and the papacy. He revealed that the Schism —the factions supporting either Roman Pope Urban VI or Avignon Pope Clement VII— was a problem of the Crown inherited from 1378 during the reign of Peter the Ceremonious. This monarch chose neutrality, although his family sided with Avignon. His primogenitor, John I, sided with the Avignon pope, and this loyalty was heightened upon the election of Pope Benedict XIII, who was of CatalanAragonese descent. When he rose to the throne, Martin the Humane continued to support the Avignon pope and siege was laid to the city (1398-1403), while Martin the Humane remained under the obedience of Benedict XIII. When it was decided at the Council of Perpignan (14081409) that the Avignon pope would step down and the pope sought King Martin’s favor, Martin denied it given the pope’s own indifference towards the Crown of Catalonia and Aragon.
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Carles Vela from the Università di Palermo focused on “Martin the Humane’s International Policy”. In his talk, he analyzed the different aspects of King Martin’s international policy, a continuation of the policies conducted by his brother and predecessor, John I. Vela particularly focused on relations between the Crown of Catalonia and Aragon and Navarre, France, Castile and the Mediterranean countries. He stressed the renewal of peace with Navarre (1399) and the negotiations for the marriage between his son Martin and Blanche of Navarre. With France, he particularly stressed the cordial relations and the signing of a treaty on mutual reprisals in 1402. Regarding the Mediterranean, Martin the Humane aimed to solve the problem of the Berber and Christian corsairs first with military measures and ultimately with diplomacy by signing several treaties. Professor Vela noted that relations with Castile became strained during the reign of Henry III, especially regarding the marquisate of Villena. The fifth section examined “Society and Economy during the Reign of King Martin” with talks on numerous subjects such as spirituality, production, relations with Jews and Muslims and internal and international trade. In his talk entitled “The Church and Religious Life, Proselytizing”, Josep Hernando from the Universitat de Barcelona analyzed the Church in the Crown of Catalonia and Aragon during Martin’s reign. He stressed how the Church became part of the political system as the nation adopted the structures of a state (courts, the Diputació del General, etc.). He particularly spotlighted to the religious, cultural and political development of the religious orders, especially the mendicant orders. Professor Hernando recounted how at that time society was organized around religion and stressed the importance of the sacraments from the Roman liturgy, the religious funeral rites, festivities linked to devotional cycles (Christmas, Easter) and festivals linked to the saints and their miracles, as well as the social clout of the brotherhoods. He also mentioned the importance that ownership of Bibles and other religious books came to have, as seen through wills and inventories. He concluded his talk by analysing the sincerity of Jewish conversions after the 1391 pogrom and the spread of the Inquisition and proselytizing. In his talk entitled “Rural and Urban Production”, Gaspar Feliu of the IEC and the Universitat de Barcelona analyzed the repercussions of the Black Plague on both cities and the countryside. First, there were a series of upheavals in the countryside that led to the diversification of production and a surge in social problems, especially among peasant serfs. Likewise, in the cities there were problems as a result of a lack of labour, yet new markets in the East also opened. It should be borne in mind that a major share of the output was set aside for exports, and that these exports were highly exposed to competition and the political and military changes that dominated the developments of the international markets. In his talk entitled “‘Entre eulx plusieurs Sarrazins’: Jews and Muslims in the Reign of Martin I”, Brian A. Catlos of the University of California at Santa Cruz studied the status of the Jewish, Muslim and Christian communities during the reign of Martin the Humane. Regarding the Jews, he focused on the impact of the pogroms, particularly the one in 1391.
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With respect to the Muslims, he analyzed the process of economic decline and the rise in social marginalization they underwent. Professor Catlos studied Christian proselytizing against both groups and their relations with the Crown and with the King; indeed, despite their profound religiousness, King Martin and his wife Maria de Luna protected Jews and Muslims because these two minorities helped the king both economically and politically. With the end of the Barcelona dynasty, the monarchy’s protection of the Jewish and Muslim minorities also came to an end. In his talk entitled “The Food Supply in the Cities of the Crown of Aragon”, Antoni Riera from the IEC and the Universitat de Barcelona examined the food supply in the large cities in the Crown between the so-called “year of famine” (1374) and the hardships of 1428. To do so, he focused on two basic foodstuffs: wheat and meat. He studied the original markets, the trade routes, the urban distribution circuits and the role of merchants purveying in these goods. He analyzed how the town councils intervened to maintain prices and help boost the supply in order to ensure the salubriousness of products and the protection of the suppliers, as well as to step up imports at times of crisis. In her talk entitled “Internal Trade: Fairs and Markets. Redistribution through Land, River and Coastal Sailing Routes”, Dolores López from the Universitat de Barcelona analyzed internal trade within the Crown of Aragon. She stressed the prominence of studies on international trade until recently compared to the scant focus on internal trade. She examined the fairs and market and their importance in the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries, spotlighting the fact that not only were they concentrated in the large capital cities but could also be found inland, encouraged by river trade or a location near major Roman thoroughfares. She also stressed the importance of coastal trade at the time via the Catalan coastal ports. In her talk entitled “International Trade at the Time of King Martin”, Maria Elisa Soldani from the Institució Milà i Fontanals analysed trade at the time of King Martin the Humane with a particular focus on the economic repercussions of the monarch’s economic policy, bearing in mind the policies of his predecessors and successors. Professor Soldani also studied the evolution in international trade from the leading mercantile centers in the Crown (Barcelona, Valencia and Mallorca) through the main commercial routes (in the East, West, Maghreb and Tyrrhenian zone), which were quite clearly articulated and interconnected through a system of reciprocal relations and mutual dependencies. Finally, she analyzed the effects of military spending and Martin the Humane’s protectionist economic policy on the activity of Catalan merchants and the foreign merchants operating within the Crown of Aragon. In his paper entitled “Lords, Salt and Saffron: Regional Economy and Urban Oligarchies in the Town and Countship of Cardona in the early 1400s”, Andreu Galera i Pedrosa from the Municipal Archive of Cardona analysed the town of Cardona, its local oligarchy and their relations with the Count of Cardona and King Martin the Humane. He also discussed the privileges secured by the town in the preceding years, including the recovery of the rights to Cardona salt and the privilege of holding trade fairs. These privileges are what make it possible to study the economy of the zone of Cardona around the year 1400. 24 | CATALONIA | AICSUSA.ORG
In the talk entitled “Consulates of the Sea and Overseas Consulates: The Defence of Maritime Space”, Daniel Duran i Duelt from the Institució Milà i Fontanals studied how the reign of Martin the Humane was a pivotal time in the organisation of the institutional and legislative system that had taken shape in the Middle Ages at the service of merchants and seamen who wanted more autonomy. Professor Duran analysed the changes that took place during the reign of Martin and their significance within the overall framework of consulates of the sea and overseas consulates. The fifth section was devoted to analyzing “Culture and Art in the Reign of King Martin” by examining subjects like literature, universities, royal ceremonies, architecture and art.
In his talk entitled “The Literary Scene in the Reign of King Martin: Bernat Metge and Eiximenis”, Albert G. Hauf from the IEC and the Universitat de València stressed King Martin’s solid classical and literary education, helped in part by his sedentarism and his profound religiousness, which earned him the title of Eclesiast. This meant that the monarch was fond of studying and reading. Many of the texts that have survived from the time of Martin the Humane are religious, such as the ones by Brother Joan Eiximeno and Brother Antoni Canals, who wrote some works for the king’s personal use. Late in life, Eiximenis finished his Vida de Jesucrist (Life of Jesus Christ) and dedicated it to Maria de Luna, Martin’s wife. These profoundly religious works contrast with the oeuvre of Bernat Metge, royal secretary, especially his Lo Somni (The Dream). It is known that King Martin had a copy of Lo Somni brought to Zaragoza, and Albert Hauf considered what the monarch’s interpretation of the book might have been given his profoundly spiritual vantage point. In his talk entitled “Martin the Humane’s Creation of the Estudi General de Medicina of Barcelona and his interest in the World of Universities”, Salvador Claramunt from the Universitat de Barcelona analysed how through the monarch’s impetus the Estudi General de Medicina (Faculty of Medicine) was founded in 1401, which would later become the Estudi General de Barcelona, the forerunner of the University of Barcelona. Professor Claramunt stressed that King Martin followed in the footsteps of his father, Peter the Ceremonious, in this matter, yet that he soon came upon several stumbling blocks. The first was Barcelona’s strong physicians’ guilds, whose members were afraid of a clash with the physicians that would eventually graduate from this school. The second was the monopoly on teaching held by the Consell de Cent (Council of One Hundred), which was against the Estudi General at first until it realised the benefits the city would reap as the home to a university. Nevertheless, the monarch was forced to abandon some of his initiatives in order to deal with clashes with the different institutions. In his lecture entitled “Monarch, Reign and City: The Language of the Ceremonies in the Crown of Aragon at the Time of Martin the Humane”, Miquel Raufast from the Institució Milà i Fontanals examined the importance of ceremonies in all public events in the Crown of Catalonia and Aragon during the Middle Ages. After an introduction in which he outlined the somewhat theatrical importance of coronations, royal entries, receptions, processions, funeral rites and other popular festivals,
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CATALONIA Raufast focused particularly on the ceremonial activities of Martin the Humane and his family in the different lands (Catalonia, Aragon, Valencia, Sicily) and main cities (Barcelona, Zaragoza, Valencia, Palermo) within his realm. He stressed the importance of the visual representation of the Crown in all these events. In his talk entitled “An Impossible View: Catalan Political Will and Mediterranean Architectural Creation under Martin the Humane (1396-1410)”, Xavier Barral from the IEC and the Université de Rennes took stock of King Martin’s royal architecture, mainly in Barcelona and Poblet, although he also considered other places in the kingdom at a time when northern trends were reaching the more Mediterranean Gothic art. Professor Barral analysed how these more decorative international Gothic forms were brought to Mediterranean austerity, and he compared King Martin’s architectural initiatives with those from other hotspots of royal creation such as Italy, Avignon and other sites in northern France. He also studied the internal and external structure of royal residences in terms of both monumentality and functionality. In her talk entitled “Martin the Humane: Figurative Likenesses of the Last King from the House of Barcelona and the House of Aragon”, Marta Serrano from the Universitat Rovira i Virgili analysed the most important iconographic depictions of King Martin which still survive. Based on manuscripts, coins, seals and works of art, she examined portrayals of the monarch, stressing the continuity of the iconographic innovations introduced by his father as well as his profound religiosity and the desire to sanctify the monarch. The sixth section was devoted to studying “The Family of King Martin” by examining a variety of subjects, including the monarch’s wives, the succession of the kingdom of Sicily and its queens and the King’s illegitimate descendants. In her talk entitled “Two Queens for a King: The Wives of Martin the Humane”, Núria Silleras from the University of Colorado at Boulder analysed the figures of Maria de Luna and Margaret of Prades. The monarch married the former in 1372, and he lived with her for 34 years until her untimely death. He then married Margaret of Prades in 1409, when he was already an old man. Professor Silleras stressed the fact that, contrary to the norm, Martin married two local noblewomen, one from Aragon and the other from Catalonia. She paid particular attention to the role of the queen in the Crown and how the monarch’s two wives performed this role, as well as their relationship with Martin. She highlighted the role and power of Queen Maria de Luna, a harbinger of the Iberian queens’ greater participation in politics in the 15th and 16th centuries. In the talk entitled “The Sicilian Queens: Maria of Sicily and Blanche of Navarre”, Laura Sciascia from the Università di Palermo analysed the wives of King Martin the Younger, Martin the Humane’s son. Maria of Sicily married Martin the Younger in 1396 and died in 1402. The same year, Martin married Blanche of Navarre and remained married to her until his death in 1409. Children were born from each marriage, none of whom reached adolescence. Both queens reigned over the Kingdom of Sicily: Maria of Sicily did so upon the death of her father, Frederick, and Blanche of Navarre followed suit upon the death of her husband, Martin the Younger. Professor Sciascia performed an in-depth analysis of these two queens and their positions towards the king and the kingdom. 26 | CATALONIA | AICSUSA.ORG
In his talk entitled “Martin the Younger and the Succession of the Kingdoms of Sicily and Aragon”, Salvatore Fodale from the Università di Palermo analyzed the development of the deeds that led Martin the Younger to marry Maria of Sicily so that the Kingdom of Sicily would join the Crown of Catalonia and Aragon. The different popes denied the Catalan kings’ rights to the throne of Sicily and favoured Louis of Anjou as the king of Sicily, which meant that the only way the Crown could secure the kingdom was through the marriage of Maria and Martin the Younger. In her talk entitled “The Royals: The Illegitimate Descendants of Martin the Younger. The Descendants of John I. The Descendants of Peter the Ceremonious. The Descendants of Alphonse the Benign. The Descendants of James II”, Josefina Mutgé from the Institució Milà i Fontanals studied the princes of royal blood who might have aspired to becoming the king of the Crown of Catalonia and Aragon when King Martin the Humane died with no legitimate heirs in 1410. Professor Mutgé analysed these royals, that is, the individuals who might ascend to the throne because of their royal blood. Some of the most prominent pretenders to the throne were Frederick, Count of Luna; Prince Louis III of Anjou; the Duke of Gandia; Ferdinand, from the House of Trastamara; and James II, Count of Urgell. The latter was considered the most likely aspirant to inherit the kingdom since he was the Governor General, a post always given to the heir to the throne, but his enemies managed to ensure that all the candidates competed equally under the same conditions. The final struggle was between Ferdinand and James, and the former ultimately prevailed. The last section was devoted to “The Interregnum and the Compromise of Caspe”, which analyzed the Interregnum and the different kingdoms within the Crown (Catalonia, Mallorca, Valencia and Aragon), as well as the significance of the Compromise of Caspe. In his talk entitled “Catalonia and the Crown of Aragon: National Language and Political Structure”, Jaume Sobrequés from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona stressed that the Interregnum seems to have been the first time that Aragon, Valencia and the Principality of Catalonia fully felt that they shared a common fate that bound them and required them to find a shared solution to an internal problem that affected them all equally. The innovation of Professor Sobrequés’ talk was the mission to study the national language and politics of the authorities gathered together at the courts of Barcelona and Tortosa from 1410 to 1412 and to demonstrate the constitutional strength and cohesion of the confederation. In her talk entitled “The Interregnum on Mallorca”, Maria Barceló from the Universitat de les Illes Balears stressed how little interest historians have shown in this subject until recently. She noted that the seminal work in this field today is the 2003 study by Álvaro Santamaría. Regarding the Interregnum on Mallorca, Professor Barceló spotlighted the fact that despite all its attempts to participate actively, Mallorca remained on the sidelines of the process of electing the new monarch, a relatively incomprehensible fact since it played an equal role within the confederation. She mentioned the emissaries’ difficulties in making their voices heard in the debates that led first to the Concord of Alcañiz and later the decision at Caspe.
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In his talk entitled “Citizen Government and Factional Infighting: The Interregnum in Valencia,” Rafael Narbona from the Universitat de València explained how the Interregnum marked the end of a disastrous era for the Kingdom of Valencia that had started in around 1375, when the social and political relations established after the War of the Two Peters had begun to deteriorate. Professor Narbona stressed that the Interregnum in Valencia attempted to settle not only a dynastic issue or legal procedure but also a long-standing rivalry among a group of families vying for hegemony which had been dragging on and gaining momentum for some time. In his talk “Interregnum and Factions in Aragon”, Josep-David Garrido from the Universidad Miguel Hernández of Elche explained how just like in Valencia, there had been factional infighting in Aragon for years which was heightened upon the death of King Martin. The conflicts between the Maria de Luna’s family and the Urreas, the inlaws of Maria de Luna’s sister Brianda, unleashed a rivalry which started as a question of honour but ended up becoming a struggle for power and influence in the kingdom. All of this factional infighting reached the time of the Interregnum and the election of a new king, when James, Count of Urgell, who enjoyed the sympathy of the Lunas, was thus automatically despised by the Urreas. In his talk entitled “The Compromise of Caspe: Its Significance. The View from Historiography”, Antoni Furió from the Universitat de València performed an indepth assessment of the significance of the Compromise of Caspe to the Crown of Catalonia and Aragon. First, he stressed its importance as a seminal event in the history of the Crown, as well as in the political and institutional history of Western Europe, due to the unusual way the monarch was chosen by the delegates of the different confederated kingdoms. Professor Furió further stressed the consequences of the enthronement of the Castilian Trastamara dynasty and the assessments of this event throughout history by both sides, the Catalans and the Castilians. Finally, in his paper entitled “The Candidacy to the Throne of Infante Fernando de Antequera and the Castilian Intervention in the Crown of Aragon during the Interregnum”, Víctor Muñoz from the Universidad de Valladolid shared the Castilian view of Fernando de Antequera’s pretensions to the throne. He highlighted Castile’s deployment of means to promote Fernando: diplomatic actions were conducted, troops were sent and money was spent to promote this candidacy over the others.
After this talk, a debate session was held, and the conference concluded with words by Maria Teresa Ferrer i Mallol, President of the HistoryArchaeology Department of the IEC and scientific coordinator of the conference. To cap it off, the conference participants visited the cathedral of Barcelona, where they were able to see several artefacts related to King Martin. King Martin’s signature
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GOOD READS Tomàs Garcés i Miravet (9 October 1901 – 16 November 1993, Barcelona) was a Catalan poet and lawyer. Garcés was born in Barcelona. He studied law, philosophy and literature in the University of Barcelona. At the time of the Spanish Civil War Garcés fled to France where he was a teacher of the Spanish language in the University of Toulouse. He returned to Catalonia in 1947. Tomas was called "The Catalan poet of song" for his short regular verses. He worked in several literary publications: Mar V ella, which he founded, and also A riel, Serra d'Or, Revista de Catalunya and also La Publicitat, in which he published his works under the pseudonym "Ship-Boy". For his works he was awarded several prizes, including The City of Barcelona Award, The Generalitat de Catalunya award, Crítica Serra d'Or, Creu de Sant Jordi and Premi d'Honor de les Lletres Catalanes.
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President Puigdemont: "Hem d'estar a l'alçada del llegat de Ramon Casas, compromès amb la modernitat i la responsabilitat social" El cap de l'Executiu ha presidit l'acte central de la commemoració de l'Any Ramon Casas que s'ha celebrat al Món Sant Benet El cap de l’Executiu ha presidit l’acte central de la commemoració de l’Any Ramon Casas que s’ha celebrat al Món Sant Benet El president de la Generalitat, Carles Puigdemont, ha presidit aquest vespre l’acte central de la commemoració dels 150 anys del naixement del pintor, dibuixant i cartellista Ramon Casas, que ha tingut lloc a Món Sant Benet, que va ser residència d’estiueig de l’artista. El cap de l’Executiu s’ha referit al pintor com un “artista total” i ha assegurat que el que ha de fer Catalunya és “estar a l’alçada del seu llegat”. “Hem de veure quin és el nostre rol com a generació compromesa amb la modernitat, la cultura i la mirada cap a l’exterior i intentar que, en el futur, també algú pugui dir que hi va haver una generació de catalans capaços de fundar uns nous clàssics”, ha afirmat. Durant el seu discurs, que ha tancat l’acte commemoratiu, Puigdemont ha lloat la “burgesia culta, creativa i multidisciplinar” de la qual va formar part Ramon Casas, i ha posat en valor “la seva gran vocació de responsabilitat social”, així com “l’immens compromís creatiu i la visió polièdrica de la modernitat” que van demostrar. L’acte, organitzat per la Fundació Catalunya-La Pedrera, ha comptat amb un concert de piano a càrrec del pianista Lluís Grané, amb un repertori integrat per obres d’Enric Granados, Isaac Albéniz i Erik Satie, grans mestres i compositors de l’època. L’any 1907, la mare del Ramon Casas va comprar el monestir de Sant Benet i la família el va convertir en residència d’estiu. Des de fa gairebé 10 anys, les estances on va viure un dels pintors més representatius del Modernisme i la seva família estan obertes al públic amb una proposta museogràfica que el president i la resta de les autoritats també han visitat al finalitzar l’acte institucional. A més del president, han assistit a la celebració el conseller de Cultura, Santi Vila; la comissionada de l’Any Ramon Casas, Vinyet Panyella, i el president de la Fundació Catalunya-La Pedrera, Germán Ramón-Cortés.
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JOSEP MARIA CABAYOL, DEDICACIÓ SERENA I TENAÇ A LA PINTURA
L'obra més actual de Josep Maria Cabayol es caracteritza per l'elaboració acurada, per l'anàlisi detallada dels elements que hi figuren, potser per una recreació sobre un mateix tema, vist i estudiat des de vessants o punts de vista diferents, poc diferents tanmateix, però que permeten aprofundir en l'estudi de detalls. Josep M. Cabayol Serramià va mostrar des de molt jove la inquietud per la pintura. Des de 1966 va freqüentar el taller del pintor Salvador Masana, del qual ve rebre no només unes nocions elementals sobre la forma de manejar el llapis i els pinzells, de tractar els colors i d'observar-ne les masses en el paisatge natural, sinó també, i potser principalment, l'impuls i l'ànim CABAYOL per seguir el camí pel qual mostrava predisposició i voluntat. De 1969 a 1971 va cursar estudis a l'Escola d'arts i Oficis de Palma de Mallorca. En aquests anys participà en diversos certàmens juvenils d'art de Vilanova i de Barcelona, en algun dels quals resultà guardonat. El 1969 presentà la primera exposició individual al Foment Vilanoví. A partir d'aquesta data ha realitzat peròdicament exposicions personals a Vilanova, a Barcelona, a Palma de Mallorca, i en altres ciutats de Catalunya, al Marroc i als EUA. A més, ha participat en diverses col·lectives. Josep M. Cabayol ha conreat bàsicament el paisatge, amb atenció especial per la composició geomètrica de les edificacions, tant rurals com urbanes, i pels efectes de la llum, més que no pas per les ponoràmiques del paisatge natural, amb els elements físics de la geografia i amb la vegetació que els és inherent. Les vistes de terrats urbans el motivaren de forma directa. Josep M. Cabayol, progressivament, anà fixant l'esguard en l'efecte de la llum sobre la superfície de les construccions i, de forma particular, en la rica varietat en tonalitats diverses entorn del blanc, i d'alguns colors tènues que l'acompanyen. El coneixement de la illa d'Eivissa, cap al 1976, fou per a Josep M. Cabayol un descobriment personal que li serví de tema preferent per a la pintura. Des de llavors s'ha centrat principalment en els fragments de construccions populars en tons blancs o molt clars. De forma semblant a com conegué el paisatge d'Eivissa, en un viatge descobrí el del Marroc. Des de 1995 hi ha fet diverses estades, amb la finalitat d'admirar les cases i els conjunts d'edificacions amb predomini de façanes blanques d'algunes zones del país -com ara Xauen, Rabat i altres- amb una observació atenta dels detalls, per prendre apunts i notes, que han inspirat una bona part de l'obra dels darrers anys. Al llarg de la vida, en diverses èpoques, ha realitzat composicions de fruites i estudis sobre les superficies d'objectes de vidre, i els efectes produïts per la llum en els reflexos i en les transparències. Els darrers anys ha aprofundit més en l'execució de les obres, dins de les temàtiques citades, a base de més dibuix, d'una observació més precisa de les estructures i els matisos de colors en les superfícies, cercant més realisme. Des del seu taller, la riquesa de formes, de textures, de matisos de color en unes carbasses, unes magranes, uns codonys, uns cargols de mar, la superfície de la taula que els suporta, etc. ha inspirat un bon conjunt de realitzacions. Josep M. Cabayol procura dedicar a la pintura diverses hores cada dia, sense pressa, fruint en l'etudi de l'objecte de l'obra i de l'execució lenta però ben elaborada. Article by: Francesc X.
Puig Rovira
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