Ramón Pérez de Ayala (1880-1962): su visión hispanista de la tradición pictórica española, desde Altamira a Goya

Ramón Pérez de Ayala (1880-1962): his Hispanist vision of the Spanish pictorial tradition, from Altamira to GoyaDespite Ramón Pérez de Ayala's significance as a writer in the Spanish aesthetic discourse of the early 20th century, his artistic writings have garnered limited historiographical attention. Educated at the University of Oviedo, his interactions with intellectuals such as the pan-Hispanist Rafael Altamira provided him with a cosmopolitan perspective, which he further expanded through international experiences funded by the Junta de Ampliación de Estudios. This modern aesthetic education profoundly influenced his artistic writings, which must be understood within a context marked by vigorous debates surrounding national identity. In the aftermath of the crisis of '98, there was a concerted effort to elevate both the Spanish language and art. This article examines a collection of texts published in both Spanish and Latin American newspapers, along with documentation preserved in the Pérez de Ayala collection at the Library of Asturias (Oviedo). We present an interpretation of his perspective on the Spanish pictorial tradition, wherein Ayala identified certain distinctive values that we elucidate herein.