Catalan Modernism: Authors, Works and Trends

Catalan Modernism (1892-1911)

Modernism was a cultural renewal movement that aimed to transform Catalan culture into a modern, national, and European culture. It ensured that art was present in all artistic fields. It was a cultural movement with a Romantic character, produced in the West at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th.

Key Authors and Works

Santiago Rusiñol (1861-1931)

Santiago Rusiñol, a typical Bohemian figure, was also a Modernist painter. He was above the bourgeoisie, educated, and traveled to Paris. L'Auca del Senyor Esteve presents the case of Mr. Esteve, a bourgeois man with a familiar labor market. His child wants to be an artist, creating a father-son conflict. However, when Esteve is about to die, he acknowledges his son's artistic aspirations and lets him pursue them.

Joan Puig i Ferreter

Joan Puig i Ferreter was a representative of regenerationist Modernism. Aigües Encantades reflects the conflict between the retrograde attitude (conservative, clinging to the past) of the people of a village and its priest, who opposes the proposed technical advances of a young engineer and a teacher to overcome the extreme drought they suffer.

Joan Maragall (1860-1911)

Joan Maragall was one of the most representative writers of Modernism. His work brings together two different attitudes of Modernist artists: the aesthetic attitude (expressed in poetic contemplation of nature) and the regenerationist attitude (expressed in the vitality of his poetry and social commitment, evident in his articles).

Víctor Català (Caterina Albert) (1869-1966)

Víctor Català was the pseudonym of the writer Caterina Albert. Her most important work was Solitud: a novel set in a rural environment, with a female protagonist who marries a lazy man. She is dedicated to caring for a chapel. She meets a shepherd who makes her discover nature.

Trends of Modernism

• Regenerationist: Believed that art could change society, creating an art committed to social progress.
• Aestheticist: A more pessimistic view. Adherents believed that art could not change society. They closed themselves off in their artistic world and created art for art's sake, without concern for societal impact.

The Central Conflict

The conflict reflected in Modernist literature is often the individual-society conflict. The individual often represents progress, while society (masses of people without independent thought) opposes the individual's potential to advance society.