Catalan Modernist Theater: From European Influence to Rusiñol’s Legacy
Catalan Modernist Theater
European Influence
Catalan playwrights continued to draw inspiration from Europe’s most prominent authors. The foreign influence helped regenerate the Catalan regional scene and broaden its horizons. Catalan modernist works were influenced by Belgian Maurice Maeterlinck, German Gerhart Hauptmann, and especially Norwegian Henrik Ibsen. Slowly, the romantic theater model in Catalonia was replaced by one from northern Europe, thanks to authors such as Joan Puig i Ferreter, Ignasi Iglesias, Adrià Gual, and Santiago Rusiñol. However, the conservative upper-class audience was not accustomed to such innovative proposals.
Enchanted Waters (1907)
Joan Puig i Ferreter’s Enchanted Waters tells the story of an engineer who faces the immobility of a town in Tarragona. The engineer, a supporter of science and progress, recommends using groundwater to solve a drought problem. However, the people reject progress, believing the waters are haunted. The engineer meets Cecilia, a rebellious young landowner’s daughter, who desires societal transformation. Ultimately, the engineer is expelled from the town.
Art for Art’s Sake
Some authors, such as Rusiñol and Adrià Gual, advocated for symbolist theater and the principle of art for art’s sake. They believed art’s sole purpose was art itself. Their works feature suggestive, mysterious, and symbolic scenes, reflecting the characters’ moods.
Adrià Gual’s Theatrical Companies
Adrià Gual was a leading playwright who founded theater companies like the New Catalan Theater Company and the Intimate Theater. He introduced innovative artistic direction and the role of the stage director in Catalonia. Gual also organized sophisticated gatherings called “Evenings Select,” featuring artists like Hauptmann and Italian Gabriele D’Annunzio. His most important contribution was the creation of the Catalan School of Dramatic Art, which he led from 1913 to 1932. Among his plays are the symbolist Absinthium, He Who Seeks a Wife (1910), The Comedy of the Extraordinary Man Who Lost Time (1914), and Le Figaro or the Lady Who Savors (1916).
The Joy That Passes (1891) by Rusiñol
Santiago Rusiñol was the most important symbolist theater writer. The Joy That Passes is one of his most famous works. The story recounts the arrival of circus performers in a dull and ignorant town. The mayor’s son, Joanet, falls in love with Zaira, a circus woman who represents Poetry and Art. However, the townspeople reject the circus, leading to a confrontation between the villagers, who symbolize monotony and materialism, and the circus members. The conflict culminates with the mayor forcing the circus to leave, demonstrating the triumph of Prose over Poetry. Rusiñol argued that society should cultivate art for art’s sake, but this model inevitably leads to conflict between the artist and their environment. Symbolist theater expresses this through dramatic situations, suggestive language, and psychological analysis of characters.
Rusiñol’s Life
Santiago Rusiñol was born in 1861 into a wealthy fabric manufacturing family. He showed little interest in the business and attended painting classes at the School of La Llotja. Rusiñol faced opposition from his grandfather, which continued throughout his life. He lived in Paris for a time and, upon returning to Catalonia, organized the Sitges Modernist Festival. The premiere of Maeterlinck’s The Intruder at the second festival marked the introduction of symbolist theater in Catalonia. Rusiñol was a progressive figure in all aspects. He married in 1889, but the marriage failed. Despite having a daughter, he spent long periods in Paris living a bohemian lifestyle. He embraced the image of the bohemian artist and chose to live on the fringes of society. However, the excesses of this period took a toll on his health. In Barcelona, he attended meetings of Els Quatre Gats, a gathering place for leading artists, and wrote criticism for the newspaper La Vanguardia. He also exhibited his paintings and cultivated various genres: drama, novel, poetry, prose, travel writing, and journalism. This frenetic activity made him a leading figure of Catalan Modernism. When he died in 1931 in Aranjuez, where he was painting gardens, the cultural world paid him homage.
The Tale of Mr. Stephen (1917)
Rusiñol did not always cultivate the same type of theater. He is also known for his comedies, which humorously depict the customs and values of the new petty bourgeoisie. The Tale of Mr. Stephen is his best-known comedy. It tells the story of a family of traders in Barcelona’s La Ribera district who, over four generations, have built their business, “The Spot,” through hard work and savings. The conflict arises when Ramonet, instead of continuing the family business, prefers to pursue a career in sculpture.