The Changing Scope of Realism in the History of Spanish Arts The Changing Scope of Realism in the History of Spanish Arts Matthew Curtis

Definition The tendency to view or represent things as they really are o Objective in nature o Avoids anything which deters from or misrepresents reality Idealism o Focus on a subject in its ideal form rather than its actual form

Historical Context 12 th Century Velásquez, 1656 Paintings of actual human faces Religious images were a reflection of life 17 th Century Paintings Velásquez, Zubarán, and Calderón o Expressed genuine realism o Translated observations into paint Spanish Royal Family 1656: The royal court included “two women in waiting with dwarfism”

Historical Context 17 th Century: Don Quixote de La Mancha Provided framework for what would become the realist movement of 19 th century o Less descriptive in nature than later realist works o Depicts reality of Spanish society during that time o Cervantes allows reader to experience the roads, inns, and character dialogue Allowed for creative imagination and participation in sequence of events

19 th Century Realistic Literature o Encompassed the values of the rising middle class Individualism Materialism Social Advancement Novel regarded as most popular genre o Easy acceptance resulted from popularity of Quixote and other novels from the Golden Age Early 19 th century o Popular forms of literature included poetry, plays and political essays Realism Emerged o Uncertainty throughout Spain result of Napoleonic wars, internal struggles and colonial revolts of first half of 19 th century

Classes of Realistic Thought ConservativeProgressive Traditional and religious values used to present reality o Held by much of middle class o Tended to limit the relative scope Less emphasis on social, religious or cultural prejudices o Presents a more realistic view of the world o Represented later by Galdós and Clarín

Characteristics of the Spanish Realistic Novel 1. Costumbrism Used generic characters to represent society o The peasant, bullfighter, or sheriff o Easily relatable to the readers 2.Defense of Traditional or Progressive Ideals o Writer’s perception of reality based on what they viewed was important 3. Characters and trends specific to the period o Cursi – a member of the middle class who studies aristocracy in order to imitate and pass as one of them o Señorito – Boastful character which appeared mainly in novels within upper classes of Andalusian families 4.Typical Settings o Rural or aristocratic environments, life in the provinces

Benito Pérez Galdós Most significant novelist after Cervantes Novelas Españolas Contemporáneas o Presents bureaucracy of Madrid in the middle and working classes o Included his best work Fortunata y Jacinta( ) Social makeup of Madrid is depicted in the story of two middle class women and their families, loves, and acquaintances. Used common character(s) to present his perspective on the Social structure

20 th Century Spanish Civil War o Ended in 1939 with the establishment of Francisco Franco’s dictatorship o Banned all media in opposition to or that could potentially threaten his power All things not seen as classically Spanish in were forbidden Led to the exile of Spanish artists and writers o Spain once again in economic, political, and social uncertainty Mid century generation o Were Adolescents during the war o Introduced “critical realism” Quietly expressed intense opposition to dictatorship Deeper meaning expressed beyond the overriding storyline

20 th Century Miguel Delibes o The Red Leaf(1959): Assessed poverty and loneliness in the elderly o Rats: (1962): Existence of uneducated cave dwellers Each expressed an underlying concern for a society whose natural values are repeatedly threatened Realism in Post-Franco Film and Music o Following Franco’s death in 1975, Spanish film saw immediate changes o Themes of sex, drugs, and homosexuality were widely represented o Psychedelic, progressive, and punk influences were applied to traditional Spanish Music Influences had existed in the culture but not presented in mainstream Did not present the traditional Spanish values of Franco

Music/Film Cont.. Changes in messages presented in film and music were the result of actual changes within the culture Just as writers and painters had strived to express their own perceptions of reality Musicians and filmmakers expressed their own view of a real cultural change

Why is Realism Important in Cultural Studies? Works of realism are indicative of the culture in which it was created Reoccurring themes in perceptions of reality from a specific time period allow insight into a civilization’s outlook on the world and their own culture o Can be used to analyze cultural driving forces behind past events o Provides an understanding of how a culture has progressed into its modern existence o o