Barcelona and Madrid: Social Networks of the Avant-Garde PDF
Preview Barcelona and Madrid: Social Networks of the Avant-Garde
Barcelona and Madrid Barcelona and Madrid Social Networks of the Avant-Garde Aránzazu Ascunce Arenas Published by Bucknell University Press Co-published with The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. 4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706 www.rowman.com 10 Thornbury, Plymouth PL6 7PP, United Kingdom Copyright © 2012 by Aránzazu Ascunce Arenas All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review. Photo of Sueños noctámbulos [Sleepwalking Dreams] by Salvador Dalí © Salvador Dalí. Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí. VEGAP. Madrid, 2011. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Ascunce Arenas, Aránzazu, 1974- Barcelona and Madrid: social networks of the avant-garde / Aránzazu Ascunce. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-1-61148-424-3 (cloth : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-1-61148-425-0 (electronic) 1. Barcelona (Spain)—Intellectual life—20th century. 2. Madrid (Spain)—Intellectual life—20th century. 3. Avant-garde (Aesthetics)—Spain—Barcelona—History—20th century. 4. Avant-garde (Aesthetics)—Spain—Madrid—History—20th century. 5. Barcelona (Spain)—Relations—Spain—Madrid. 6. Madrid (Spain)—Relations—Spain—Barcelona. I. Title. DP402.B265A84 2012 946'.41074—dc23 2011052012 ™ The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992. Printed in the United States of America This book is dedicated to my parents, Consuelo Carmen and Gil Ascunce, who have taught me perseverance. Acknowledgments First and foremost, I would like to thank God for giving me the power and strength to see this project through. Second, I would like to thank my family and friends who have accompanied me along this journey since the beginning or who have miraculously appeared along the way. Third, I would like to thank my teachers and mentors who have guided and instructed me in the art and science of academic research and writing. Finally, I would like to thank key individuals and institutions that have supported me at various stages in very practical ways. My nuclear family has been witness to the writing this book from beginning to end. I especially thank my parents whose faith in me has been steadfast. I would also like to thank my brothers, Gil Ignacio and Gabriel Ascunce, who have been my most honest critics. Not too long before my beloved grandmother, Hilda Isabel Ascunce—she too a professor of Spanish language and linguistics— passed away two summers ago at age ninety-one, she assured me that this book would be published. She was right. My cousin, Marie Arenas, who is more like the sister I never had, has opened the doors of her home and her heart during my many stays with her while undertaking research in Spain. I am forever thankful to you all. There are several beloved friends, dear to my heart, whom I would like to acknowledge for their continuous encouragement over the years: Alicia López Operé, Arantxa Leziñena Loizu, and Gonzalo Escarpa. With each of them, I have greatly enjoyed our passionate discussions about my book virtually, over the phone, and face-to-face. Also, I would like to especially thank those colleagues and friends who have read my manuscript in full or in part and have given me their invaluable feedback: Gloria Beatriz Rodríguez, June Naughton, and Josep Minguell. I also extend my gratitude to my dear friends in Barcelona and Madrid who have supported me in many practical ways. In Madrid, I especially thank my friend Professor Ángel Álvarez who really has been like an angel to me in the last five years. Thank you to my friend Julio Reija, a first-class poet and talented graphic designer, for agreeing to create an original piece of artwork for the cover of this book. In Barcelona, thank you to my former professor Jaume Subirana, who was the first to introduce me to Catalan studies and to teach me Catalan when I was an undergraduate student. Two other special friends in Catalonia include Miquel Visa, who made his private library available to me, and Enric Escudero Guilló who so kindly cared for me the summer I lived in Gràcia with him and his circle of fervent Catalanist friends. Professor Andrew A. Anderson, one of the top contemporary scholars of the Avant-Garde in Spain, directed the initial stages of research required for writing this book. I am grateful for his invaluable guidance and his reliable mentorship throughout the dissertation writing process. I would also like to thank the secondary readers of my dissertation: Professors Matthew Affron, Enrico Cesaretti, and David Haberly, all of whom were extremely generous with their time and specialized knowledge. Thank you also to Professors David Gies, Javier Herrero, and Fernando Operé for your constant, enthusiastic encouragement both during and after graduate school. A special note of thanks to the many librarians who have assisted me in the hemerotecas (periodical libraries) at both the Biblioteca Nacional in Madrid and the Biblioteca de Catalunya in Barcelona; the Transatlantic Library at the Residencia de Estudiantes; the fast and friendly inter-library loan service staff at Alderman Library at the University of Virginia, especially Severyn Hanusz; and the Scholar’s Lab at the University of Virginia, especially Nancy Krechner. Last, but not least, I would like to thank the institutions that have funded various grants that have made this book possible including the University of Hawaii, the University of Virginia, the Fulbright Program, and the Mellon Foundation. Chronology: Barcelona and Madrid, 1900–1939 This chronology highlights details discussed in this book. It brings attention to a series of events that serve as landmarks for understanding the Avant-Garde in Spain from two focal points, Barcelona and Madrid, simultaneously. The following events are not limited to literary history, but also include events related to art, law, politics, the press, social history, sports, and urban works. The timeline spans from 1900 until 1939, but it is focused on the years between the arrival of the first news of Italian futurism in Spain (1909) and the debut of Dalí and Buñuel’s surrealist short film, An Andalusian Dog (1929), which was screened first in France, then in Spain. The events listed in each year are also organized in chronological order (from January to December, but without indicating the months, in order to simplify the format and because not in every case is that information available). The objective of this chronology is to easily keep track of the activities that are relevant to a study of the Avant-Garde in both Barcelona and Madrid, but in some instances, also beyond. Barcelona and Madrid were not the only two cities to adopt the Avant-Garde spirit in Spain, but for the purposes of this book, the chronology remains fixed on just these two. The entries are not described in detail, since their contents are discussed at greater length in the chapters. These events have been compiled over nearly one decade and from a wide array of sources, but especially academic books, art exhibit catalogues, and my own research in various archives. A friend remarked that this chronology is problematic because of its abbreviated nature. Again, the items included in it are explained in greater detail and contextualized in the body of the book. To my knowledge, no other dual cultural chronology of the Avant-Garde in Barcelona and Madrid of this extent exists. It was a resource that I wish would have been available to me as I conducted my research. Since it was not, I have taken the liberty and risk of creating one. It is a first attempt. My hope is that it will be useful, first, to detangle some of the knots that result when composing the complicated tapestry of early twentieth-century history in Spain, and second, to understand the complex connections at play here by watching how intimately these two histories coil around one another, like strands of deoxyribonucleic acid. Picasso, first individual show, Els Quatre Gats, Barcelona 1900 Picasso’s first trip to Paris 1901 Picasso moves to Madrid; from Madrid he travels to Barcelona and Paris Arte Joven, artistic magazine founded by Picasso and a Catalan friend, Madrid Lliga Regionalista political party established, Barcelona First general strike in Barcelona 1902 Picasso extends a stay in Paris, where he lives with Max Jacob General strike in Spain, sought eight-hour day and recognition of right to strike Alfonso XIII comes of age at sixteen to rule as King of Spain First Barcelona vs. Madrid football match in Copa del Rey 1903 Picasso returns to Barcelona First Salon d’Automne of Paris, organized in protest of state-sponsored art shows 1904 Gabriel Alomar gives his first lecture on futurisme, Barcelona El Poble Català (Barcelona, 1904–18), periodical Picasso moves to Paris indefinitely Jardines lejanos, poetry book by J. R. Jiménez 1905 Bolsheviks founded by Vladimir Lenin Die Brücke, formation of expressionist artists group in Dresden, Germany Salon d’Automne, Paris; fauvism first used to define works of artists shown Garba (Barcelona, 1905–6), periodical Military assault on Catalan press: Cu-Cut and La Veu de Catalunya Gran Vía, a major boulevard in Madrid, is expanded La República de las Letras (Madrid, 1905–?) 1906 Noucentisme, Barcelona; major aesthetic and cultural movement takes root E. D’Ors published first “glosari” in Barcelona newspaper La Veu de Catalunya Attempted murder of King Alfonso XIII Centre Nacionalista Republicà, a political group, founded in Barcelona Law of Jurisdictions enacted (until 1931) Solidaritat Catalana, a political movement, established in Barcelona Estudis Universitaris Catalans established, Barcelona La Nacionalitat Catalana, book by E. Prat de la Riba First Congress of the Catalan Language hosted in Barcelona Josep Dalmau opened his first art gallery in Barcelona 1907 Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, Picasso Law of Jurisdictions repealed Futurisme (Barcelona, 1907), periodical Renacimiento (Madrid, 1907); G. Alomar published “Futurismo” articles Institut d’Estudis Catalans established, Barcelona Celso Lagar exhibited in Madrid Diego Rivera, Mexican artist, in Madrid until 1909 1908 Via Laietana, urban project to widen road, begins, Barcelona Partit Republicà Radical, a political party founded by Lerroux in Barcelona Prometeo (Madrid, 1908–12), periodical Futurisme (Tarrasa, 1908), periodical L. Bagaría moved to Madrid (until 1938) 1909 Solidaritat Catalana dissolved España Futura (Madrid, 1909–10), periodical Futurism manifesto by Marinetti published in Le Figaro, Paris Italian futurist manifesto translated and published in Madrid (Prometeo) General strike in Spain Military defeated in a Rif War battle in Morocco Tragic Week, Barcelona Prime Minister Maura resigned 1910 CNT, an anarcho-syndicalist trade union, established in Barcelona Marinetti’s futurist manifesto for Spaniards published in Madrid (Prometeo) Residencia de Estudiantes founded, Madrid Futurisme (Penedés, 1910), periodical J. M. Sucre’s first visit to Madrid C. Lagar moved to Madrid; visited Barcelona Les Arts i les Artistes, an artistic group, founded in Barcelona Sociedad de Amigos del Arte, an artistic group, founded in Madrid 1911 General strike in Spain organized by CNT Law of the Lock enacted by government and suppressed CNT Association of Basque Artists, an artistic group, established in Bilbao C. Lagar moved to Paris The Handsome Woman, novel by Eugeni D’Ors 1912 Picasso, Dalmau Gallery Cubist Art, Dalmau Gallery Revista de Catalunya (Barcelona, 1912–34), periodical Mancomunitat proposal approved, Barcelona Prime Minister Canalejas assassinated, Madrid Collection of Marinetti manifestos translated and published in Spanish, Valencia Campos de Castilla, poetry collection by A. Machado Over one hundred thousand Spaniards exiled to Latin America 1913 Barradas arrived to Barcelona from Uruguay via Italy Normes Ortogràfiques, Pompeu Fabra Escola Català d’Art Dramàtic established, Barcelona Mancomunitat established, Prat de la Riba elected first president Del sentimiento trágico de la vida, Unamuno 1914 World War I (until 1918). Many artists living in Paris exiled to Spain Revista Nova (Barcelona, 1914–16), periodical Mancomunitat constituted, Barcelona National Library of Catalonia established, Barcelona Escola Superior dels Bells Oficis established, Barcelona Niebla, Unamuno Greguerías, R. Gómez de la Serna Meditaciones del Quijote, J. Ortega y Gasset Platero y yo, J. R. Jiménez La Esfera (Madrid, 1914–31), periodical J. M. Sucre visited Madrid Barradas moved to Barcelona 1915 Vell i Nou (Barcelona, 1915–21), periodical Themis (Vilanova i la Geltrú, 1915–16), periodical La Revista (Barcelona, 1915–36), periodical España (Madrid, 1915–24), periodical Los Quijotes (Madrid, 1915–18?), periodical Iberia (Barcelona, 1915–18), periodical Integral Painters art exhibition, Madrid
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