Gusto y libertad. El arte en la novela María, la hija de un jornalero, de Ayguals de Izco

Abstract

María, la hija del jornalero –one of the most successful novels published in Spain during the reign of Isabel II- contains many references to the visual arts, museums, historical places and art theory. These mentions bear important meaning in order to analyse the relationships between taste and politics during this period. This article tries to prove that aesthetic questions are deeply involved in the discourse of liberalism. Throughout the novel we can see disdain toward ostentation, associated with the church and the aristocracy; the connection between liberalism and national style; the enthusiastic description of places designed to express freedom; the transformation of elegance into a form of liberal identity; or finally, the use of artistic images by liberal society.