Noucentisme and Avant-Garde Movements in Early 20th Century Spain
Noucentisme and the Avant-Garde
In Spain, the literary modernists, sometimes called 98istas, are known as Noucentisme or the Generation of 1914. These artists are characterized by their European focus and their conception of art as separate from social and political concerns.
During the early decades of the twentieth century, Europe saw the rise of various avant-garde movements that radically broke with the themes and expressive techniques of Romanticism and Realism. Avant-garde artists were interested in technological advancements (Futurism) and breaking down reality (Cubism) or replacing it with the dream world (Surrealism).
The Noucentists easily connected with the avant-garde, as they shared a commitment to art as a product of intellectual ability and expressive artistry.
Language, Literature, and the Avant-Garde
Key features of this movement include conceptual accuracy, expression of subjectivity, and the use of metaphor, especially in lyric genres. These ideas were expressed in prose, verse, and essays disseminated through newspapers and magazines.
Key Figures and Their Contributions
José Ortega y Gasset
Ortega y Gasset and others found the essay to be the ideal medium for disseminating ideas and knowledge. He is considered the most important of his group, and his texts often represent the thinking and talent of his generation. He studied medicine.
The Novel
The novel continued the Noucentista path of subjectivism and renewal that had begun with the Generation of ’98. Noucentista authors often manipulated situations to express their favored views on various issues. Some, like Gabriel Miró, valued lyricism, while others, like Wenceslao Fernandez Florez, opted for humor.
Ramón Gómez de la Serna (1888-1963)
Ramón Gómez de la Serna is known for the greguería. He wrote narrative, bullfighting stories, theater, and screenplays. He actively absorbed the artistic changes of his time, and his work paved the way for the renewal of the poets of the Generation of ’27. His humorous metaphor, the greguería, represents his particular worldview.
The Lyric Novecento and the Avant-Garde
The poets of this era shared a common desire to end the sentimentality and rhetoric inherited from Romanticism and Modernism. The Noucentists aimed to convey accurate and clear ideas, while the vanguardists sought to offer new versions of the universe. Some Noucentist personalities are difficult to classify, either because they are beyond the dehumanized art or because of their complex creative paths (e.g., León Felipe, Juan Ramón Jiménez). Ramón Gómez de la Serna facilitated the entry of new artistic trends into Spain, where the most important avant-garde movements were Creationism, Ultraism, and Surrealism.
Creationism and Ultraism shared a search for new forms of expression, such as calligrams. The former focused more on metaphor, while the latter favored machines and technical and scientific vocabulary. This led to pure poetry, intellectual poetry, and poetry for minorities.
Juan Ramón Jiménez (1881-1958)
Born in Huelva, Juan Ramón Jiménez is considered one of the best poets of the twentieth century. In 1956, he received the Nobel Prize in Literature. His work incorporates elements of pure poetry and seeks to express a clear understanding of the world. His themes include nature, sensory experiences, and intellectual pursuits.
Stages of Jiménez’s Work
- Sensitive Stage: Poems with Romantic and Modernist influences, treating nature in a descriptive way, focusing on themes of sadness and loneliness.
- Intellectual Stage: Works like Diary of a Newly Married Poet, where the poet flees from ornaments and seeks simplicity and purity of expression (written after marrying in New York in 1916).
- Sufficient Stage: The author fulfills his spiritual desire for eternity, merging beauty with nature. Example: The Other Side.
He also wrote prose, including Platero and I, in which the poet evokes scenes from his homeland, using the donkey Platero as his confidant.