A hundred Unicaja Banco customers, invited by the bank, have visited the exhibition Escanciando. Representaciones de la sidra asturiana en las artes plásticas (Pouring. Representations of Asturian cider in plastic arts), whose theme is the culture and traditions of Asturian cider and which includes three paintings loaned by the bank to the Asturias Museum of Fine Arts.
In total, since the opening of the exhibition in Oviedo on 20 July, three visits have been organized with customers of Unicaja Banco, two of which have been led by the curators of the exhibition, Gretel Piquer and Luis Benito García.
The works loaned by Unicaja Banco, which can be seen until 5 November, are ‘Romería asturiana’ (1918) by Evaristo Valle; ‘La merienda/A la hierba’ (1942) and ‘El baile de Santa Marina’ (1952), both by José Purón Sotres. The three paintings depict scenes of countryside and celebration in which cider is the protagonist.
The temporary loan of these paintings for the exhibition is part of Unicaja Banco’s support for culture and its artistic manifestations in general, and in Asturias in particular, as part of its commitment to this region, one of its main areas of origin and where it is a financial institution of reference.
Asturian cider culture
The exhibition Pouring. Representations of Asturian cider in plastic arts, is dedicated to the tradition and richness of Asturian cider culture and its representation in plastic arts.
It is organized by the Regional Ministry of Culture, Language Policy and Tourism of Principado de Asturias, the Chair on Asturias Cider of the University of Oviedo and Asturias Museum of Fine Arts. In addition to Unicaja Banco, other institutions and private collectors have also participated in the exhibition by donating works.
The exhibition is part of the actions that promote the Asturian Cider Culture as a Spanish candidate to be recognized as Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, which will be resolved by the end of 2024.
The exhibition is made up of six sections in which, through painting, engraving, industrial arts and other objects, the process of transformation of the apple into cider is narrated: from its collection in the pomarada (appel orchard) to its enjoyment in the chigre (cider house). It also includes an educational workshop for activities on cider, as well as several videos showing the evolution and processes associated with the productivity and enjoyment of cider and a conference on the exhibition.
As for the sections, the exhibition opens with the one entitled ‘Pomarada’, on the apple harvesting process; followed by the one dedicated to the productive dimension, i.e., cider production. The next two sections belong to the peasant customs and the ‘espicha’; the penultimate one, to the auxiliary industries associated with cider, to finish with the block dedicated to the cider house (chigre) or tavern. The exhibition includes paintings by important artists such as Ignacio León y Escosura, Luis Álvarez Catalá, Evaristo Valle, Nicanor Piñole, José Purón Sotres and Mariano Moré, among others.
