Wow! That's Rhythm!

Spanish guitarist and composer Carlos Montoya, born on this day in 1903, began his career at age 14 playing for singers and dancers in the cafés of Madrid.

Originating in the Moorish culture of southern Spain, traditional flamenco music accompanied gypsy folk dancers and singers. Montoya popularized the flamenco style, and his genius elevated it to a serious form of music.

With its colorful costumes, foot stomping, and clapping, Flamenco dancing is intense, passionate, and exotic. The Fandango and Bolero, other traditional Spanish dances, share its exuberant and lively pace. In Famous Fandango, artist Phoebe Cole captures the highly-styled Spanish dance through her use of vibrant colors, repetitive patterns, and line cadence. Now that's rhythm!

Pictured: Phoebe Cole, born 1955, The Famous Fandango, 1981, serigraph, 29 x 22 3/8 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Ruth and Jacob Kainen.