BRINGING THE HERITAGE CLOSER. ESTELLA, ART AND THE ROAD

28 August 2009

reportIdentity and image of Estella in the plastic arts of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Mr. José Javier Azanza López. Chair of Navarrese Heritage and Art.

Countless artists of the 19th and 20th centuries, sculptors and painters, photographers and engravers, have left testimony through their works of the history and characters of the city of Estella, of its customs and traditions, of its monumental buildings, streets and squares.

The mark of the report has been captured in the memory of historical events and characters, including the last Carlist War, the royal visits of Alfonso XIII, or the commemoration of the IX Centenary of the Fueros of the city, in the monument of the sculptor Manuel Clemente Ochoa from Cascantino. Another sculptor from Navarre, Fructuoso Orduna, from Roncal, conceived in 1924 a monument to Fray Diego de Estella that was never executed.
 

Manuel Clemente Ochoa. Monument to the IX Centenary of the Fueros

The identity of the city remains alive in its customs and traditions. This is the case of the Estella washerwomen, a typical image of the first decades of the 20th century on the banks of the Ega River and a source of inspiration for many painters and photographers, among them Gustavo de Maeztu and Eustasio Villanueva from Burgos. Or the fairs and markets, an activity closely linked to the city since its origins, which have been so well captured by the brushes of Jesús Basiano and Eugenio Menaya or the photographic camera of Nicolás Ardanaz. A sign of identity is also the figure of the auroro, whose monument in Estella becomes a tribute to Adriano Juániz and to the very roots of the city. 

Gustavo de Maeztu. San Juan Bridge
 

Jesus Basiano. Estella Market, 1950-55
 

The image of Estella is reflected in the landscape of the city and its natural surroundings: the monumental medieval churches of San Miguel and San Pedro de la Rúa, the narrow and attractive alleys that make up its hamlet, the squares and promenades that host human activity; or the solemnity of Montejurra that dominates and protects it, the leisurely course of the Ega River, and the vicinity of the Lóquiz mountain range, all this wealth is offered to painters and photographers who have been able to capture their vision staff of the city. The landscape of Estella is thus captured in the nuanced chromatism of Jesús Basiano, in the expressive force of the passionate impasto of Florentino Retana, and in the atmosphere of remoteness and silence of Pedro Salaberri. In the luminosity and post-impressionist synthesis of Fernando de Amárica, in the Cezannian geometry of Gaspar Montes Iturrioz, and in the abundance of nuances and symphony of atmospheres of Joaquín Ilundáin. In the strong and energetic brushstroke of Jesús Lasterra, in the refined and intimate lyricism of Francisco Bengoa, and in the vigorous and consistent interpretation of José María Ascunce. In the chromatic sense of Inocencio García Asarta, in the humanized landscape of Pedro Lozano de Sotés, and in the clean and crystalline atmosphere of César Muñoz Sola. Finally, Estella also appears to us through the goal of photographers such as José Ortiz-Echagüe, the Marquis of Santa María del Villar, Pedro Ledesma, Asenjo or the Laurent y Cía Society, all of whom captured the city's monuments and places of interest with their cameras.

Florentino Retana. Estella from the cross of the castles
 

Jesús Lasterra. Estella in winter, 1963
 

Joaquín Ilundáin. Montejurra. 2004