The "Mudejar Style" in Architecture One Hundred and Fifty Years after its Invention

The invention of the concept of mudejar in 1859 stirred one of the most impassioned debates in the history of the study of Spanish art. Created in midst of the Romantic movement, at a time when each European county was seeking to define its cultural specificity, the style was considered from the very beginning as a marker of national identity. A Map of the centers of mudejar creation was then drawn up in accordance with the cities and regions that shared the idea of a centralized Spanish culture. In recent years, research on the impact and the influence of the material and artistic culture of Al-Andalus has evolved significantly. Laying aside a definition of mudejar based on the determinism of construction materials, religion, the identity of the workforce, or decorative motifs, current research harnesses new approaches that take into account visual culture, the intentions of the artist or the meaning of the artistic forms produced.