The Silver Age of Spanish Culture (1898-1936)
Introduction
The first decades of the twentieth century were a period of extraordinary cultural fertility in Spain, known as the Silver Age. While the exact chronological limits are debated, this period is generally considered to span from the crisis of 1898 to the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936. The year 1898 marks a break with the past and a new period of reflection on Spain, while 1936 signifies the beginning of a war that profoundly impacted the country’s culture. During these four decades, several generations of intellectuals and artists emerged, leaving a lasting legacy on Spanish literature, art, and music.
The Role of Institutions
The Free Institution of Education and related institutions, such as the Student Residence and the Institute-School, played a crucial role in this cultural blossoming. Intellectuals like Antonio Machado, Juan Ramón Jiménez, Julián Besteiro, and Fernando de los Ríos emerged from these institutions. It’s remarkable how a country with a high illiteracy rate and a relatively small number of university students in 1930 could produce such high-quality literary generations.
1. The Generation of ’98
The Generation of ’98 comprises a prominent group of writers born around 1870, including Miguel de Unamuno, Azorín, Pío Baroja, Ramiro de Maeztu, Valle-Inclán, and Antonio Machado. These figures became leading voices in Spanish literature during the Silver Age. Despite their diverse ideas and styles, they shared a common concern: the pain of a Spain that, after the colonial disaster, appeared to be in a state of decline. The country’s situation led them to engage in reflection, often self-absorbed and pessimistic, about Spain’s historical reality and its problems.
2. The Generation of 1914
This generation brought together intellectuals and writers born in the 1880s who reached maturity at the start of World War I. They were a heterogeneous group whose work as thinkers and essayists often overshadowed their strictly literary contributions. The most representative intellectuals of this generation were José Ortega y Gasset, whose philosophical thought greatly influenced younger generations; Gregorio Marañón; Eugeni d’Ors, a Catalan philosopher who disseminated European artistic, literary, and philosophical trends; and María Zambrano.
In literature, Juan Ramón Jiménez and Ramón Gómez de la Serna stand out, with the latter representing the spirit of the avant-garde. In general, their thoughts revolved around the modernization of Spain and its need to integrate into a Europe that, in their eyes, was primarily defined by science. Ortega y Gasset famously wrote: “We need science in torrents, to floods.” In essence, if for the Generation of ’98 Spain was a problem, for the Generation of 1914, Europe was the solution.
3. The Generation of the Twenties
The culture of the 1920s was marked by a desire for renewal, evident in literature and art. Spain became a reflection of European modernity in the cultural field, with its manifestations disseminated through publications like the Revista de Occidente, founded by Ortega y Gasset in 1923. The avant-garde movements of the twenties represented a final overcoming of the pessimistic spirit of the Generation of ’98, which had been obsessed with the idea of Spain’s decline.
Among these movements, the literary Generation of ’27, named for the year its key members celebrated the tercentenary of the death of Luis de Góngora, is perhaps the most renowned. This group included Federico García Lorca, Rafael Alberti, Pedro Salinas, Jorge Guillén, Dámaso Alonso, Gerardo Diego, Vicente Aleixandre, and Luis Cernuda.
4. The Culture of the Thirties: The Republic
The Second Spanish Republic (1931-1939) provided the framework within which the extraordinary cultural evolution of previous generations culminated. The new regime initially enjoyed the support of Spain’s leading intellectuals. Ortega y Gasset had created the Association at the Service of the Republic in March 1931, bringing together a large group of first-rate intellectuals. Moreover, some of the Republic’s most prominent leaders were also important intellectuals, such as Manuel Azaña, Fernando de los Ríos, and Julián Besteiro. As historian Paul Preston noted, “The Second Republic was, in short, especially in the years 1931-1933, something like a cultural state.”
However, the 1930s were also years of increasing political polarization, which affected intellectuals and artists. In an era when political commitment seemed inevitable in Europe, Spanish intellectuals took sides. Antonio Machado, Ramón María del Valle-Inclán, and Rafael Alberti, among many others, leaned towards the left, while Ramiro de Maeztu and Eugeni d’Ors aligned with the monarchist right, and even fascism.
5. The Arts
Architecture: The early twentieth century witnessed the flourishing of Modernism in Barcelona. Lluís Domènech i Montaner built the Palau de la Música Catalana, and Antoni Gaudí left his mark on the city’s urban landscape with works like Casa Milà, Casa Batlló, and the Sagrada Familia. In Madrid, a more conventional style prevailed, as seen in the buildings along the Gran Vía, the Palacio de Comunicaciones at Plaza de Cibeles, and many mansions in the Salamanca district.
Painting and Sculpture: Traditional figurative artists like the sculptor Mariano Benlliure and the painters Ignacio Zuloaga and Julio Romero de Torres coexisted with key figures in the development of twentieth-century art. Pablo Picasso stands out among them all, evolving his style throughout this period, culminating in the creation of Cubism.
Music: The first third of the twentieth century was also a brilliant period for Spanish music. Figures like Isaac Albéniz, Enrique Granados, and, above all, Manuel de Falla marked a high point in Spanish musical history.
6. The Generation of 1936
The youngest group of intellectuals who closed the Silver Age was the Generation of 1936, deeply marked by the Civil War. Its members were forced to choose between loyalty to the Republic or support for the rebel military faction:
a) Republican Side: Prominent figures included Miguel Hernández, perhaps the best poet of the entire generation; the playwright Antonio Buero Vallejo; and the philosophers José Ferrater Mora and Julián Marías.
b) Rebel Side: Notable figures included the poets Dionisio Ridruejo, Leopoldo Panero, and Luis Felipe Vivanco; the novelist Gonzalo Torrente Ballester; and the essayist and physician Pedro Laín Entralgo.