Costa News Spain Breaking News | English News in Spain.
Two 1968 illustrations of Sevilla Semana Santa have been discovered and give a British perspective of Spain’s Easter.
The drawings, by esteemed British artist William ‘Bill’ Papas and originally published in the Guardian, remained hidden for almost six decades in an old book.
They were only rediscovered in February 2023 when Boris Quijada and Saul Quijada, owners of the Capitel bookstore in Alcalá de Henares, made a fateful purchase.
They bought an antique book from a British dealer called ‘The brotherhoods of Seville’, which was published in 1887.
Hidden between the pages, they found the folded newspaper sheets containing Papas’ illustrations – a fusion of British artistic sensibility and Andalucian tradition.
Enrique Guevara (semana Santa, Sevilla) is a scholar who has studied the Holy Week.
Papas, a renowned political artist, author and illustrator who died in 2000 was active during the 60s and ’70s. He contributed to The Sunday Times and The Guardian as well as the satirical magazine Punch.
Papas drew the essence of Sevilla’s Semana Santa 1968 during his visit.
His drawings vividly portray the interaction between nazarenos (penitents), Pasos (religious parades), local Sevillians and the city’s enchanting architectural style.
The images capture the essence of Spain, with details such as a flamenco dancing on horseback and a figure that resembles Don Quixote.
After almost six decades hidden within a volume, Capitel Bookstore & Bicharraqvm Est podcast have decided to print 150 limited edition copies.
This special release will be printed on 300-gram paper and include Papas original English text, originally published in The Guardian in 1968.
READ MORE
