1 00:00:01,320 --> 00:00:04,240 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class, a production 2 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:13,800 Speaker 1: of iHeartRadio. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. I'm Holly 3 00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:18,480 Speaker 1: Frye and I'm Tracy V. Wilson. I started this episode 4 00:00:18,600 --> 00:00:21,440 Speaker 1: planning to talk about a different artist before I realized 5 00:00:22,560 --> 00:00:25,560 Speaker 1: I was bottoming out on sources that I could read. 6 00:00:25,840 --> 00:00:29,040 Speaker 1: Oh sure, which happens. So I knew that I wanted 7 00:00:29,040 --> 00:00:32,159 Speaker 1: to do a Latin American artist and if not my 8 00:00:32,240 --> 00:00:36,440 Speaker 1: original choice, then somebody else. And then I remembered this 9 00:00:36,560 --> 00:00:41,800 Speaker 1: dude who we actually brushed up against his work in Barcelona, 10 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:45,559 Speaker 1: even though he is not originally from Barcelona, and he 11 00:00:45,640 --> 00:00:48,760 Speaker 1: is a super influential figure even if he isn't released 12 00:00:48,800 --> 00:00:52,000 Speaker 1: super well known in North America outside of art circles. 13 00:00:52,560 --> 00:00:55,200 Speaker 1: His story is also kind of interesting because there's a 14 00:00:55,240 --> 00:01:01,280 Speaker 1: fun and unexpected toy Foray in it. And as I 15 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:06,039 Speaker 1: was researching this artist, Joaquin Torres Garcia, connections to other 16 00:01:06,120 --> 00:01:08,880 Speaker 1: episodes that we've done just started popping up all over 17 00:01:08,880 --> 00:01:13,720 Speaker 1: the place, including one person who just seems to jump 18 00:01:13,760 --> 00:01:17,520 Speaker 1: scare in all kinds of places that I don't expect it. 19 00:01:17,959 --> 00:01:20,080 Speaker 1: I like your description of this as a jump scare. 20 00:01:20,720 --> 00:01:24,000 Speaker 1: It's just like and by the way here she is again, 21 00:01:25,040 --> 00:01:32,160 Speaker 1: yep so. Joaquin Torres Garcia was born in July twenty eighth, 22 00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:37,240 Speaker 1: eighteen seventy four, in Montevideo, Uruguay, which you can pronounce 23 00:01:37,360 --> 00:01:42,240 Speaker 1: at least five different ways, according yes to Miriam Webster's Dictionary. 24 00:01:42,840 --> 00:01:46,720 Speaker 1: His father, Joaquin Torres Frederio, was Catalan and his mother, 25 00:01:46,959 --> 00:01:52,280 Speaker 1: Maria Garcia Perez, was Uruguayan. The family, which included the 26 00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:56,120 Speaker 1: younger Joaquin's brother Gaspar and his sister Inez. They lived 27 00:01:56,120 --> 00:01:59,559 Speaker 1: outside the city center. His father was a merchant there 28 00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:02,400 Speaker 1: with a store in the Plaza de la Caretis, and 29 00:02:02,520 --> 00:02:04,640 Speaker 1: Joaquin spent a lot of time there at the store. 30 00:02:05,520 --> 00:02:08,600 Speaker 1: In terms of formal education, it seems like there was 31 00:02:08,680 --> 00:02:11,640 Speaker 1: little to none, but from a very early age, young 32 00:02:11,800 --> 00:02:15,400 Speaker 1: Joaquin was really drawn to art. This made him an 33 00:02:15,440 --> 00:02:18,760 Speaker 1: outlier in the family, where everyone else seemed like they 34 00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:24,200 Speaker 1: had much more practical vocations, like running shops or working 35 00:02:24,240 --> 00:02:27,040 Speaker 1: as carpenters. Yeah, his mother's side of the family in 36 00:02:27,040 --> 00:02:30,200 Speaker 1: particular had a lot of carpenters in it. When Joaquin 37 00:02:30,320 --> 00:02:33,639 Speaker 1: was seventeen, the family made a big move from Uruguay 38 00:02:33,840 --> 00:02:37,480 Speaker 1: to just north of Barcelona, Spain, and this may have 39 00:02:37,520 --> 00:02:40,680 Speaker 1: been the result, at least in part of Joaquin begging 40 00:02:40,720 --> 00:02:43,640 Speaker 1: his father to do so. But in addition to the 41 00:02:43,680 --> 00:02:47,080 Speaker 1: teenager's desires, the family had a very real need to 42 00:02:47,200 --> 00:02:50,639 Speaker 1: make a new start. The bank that Joaquin Torres Fredera 43 00:02:50,720 --> 00:02:54,240 Speaker 1: did business with declared bankruptcy and left the family business 44 00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:58,840 Speaker 1: with nothing, so they boarded a steamer called Chuta Denapoli 45 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:01,720 Speaker 1: on June eighth and headed to Mataro, which is a 46 00:03:01,720 --> 00:03:05,520 Speaker 1: little more than thirty kilometers northeast of Barcelona along the 47 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:09,240 Speaker 1: Spanish coastline. The family moved into an area of town 48 00:03:09,320 --> 00:03:12,360 Speaker 1: where his father's family had lived for generations, and they 49 00:03:12,400 --> 00:03:17,640 Speaker 1: actually moved into Torres Garcia's grandfather's house. Joaquin started courses 50 00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:20,840 Speaker 1: at the School of Arts and Trades, which he attended 51 00:03:20,880 --> 00:03:23,919 Speaker 1: for a year. He did very well in his drawing 52 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:27,919 Speaker 1: courses in particular, and won a first place prize for 53 00:03:28,080 --> 00:03:32,160 Speaker 1: figure and landscape drawing. The family moved to Barcelona not 54 00:03:32,280 --> 00:03:35,440 Speaker 1: long after he finished his first year there. At the 55 00:03:35,440 --> 00:03:39,840 Speaker 1: age of twenty, Torres Garcia started formally studying painting at 56 00:03:39,880 --> 00:03:44,080 Speaker 1: the Sanjordia Academy of Fine Arts in Barcelona. His classes 57 00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:46,520 Speaker 1: were mostly at night, so he also enrolled at the 58 00:03:46,560 --> 00:03:50,200 Speaker 1: Academia Bisas, which was another private art school, and he 59 00:03:50,240 --> 00:03:53,000 Speaker 1: took classes there during the day. This is a little 60 00:03:53,000 --> 00:03:55,880 Speaker 1: confusing to me because when I looked up Academia Bisas, 61 00:03:56,000 --> 00:03:59,400 Speaker 1: it's often described as being like a preparatory school for 62 00:03:59,440 --> 00:04:02,480 Speaker 1: people to get into the fine arts school of Barcelona. 63 00:04:02,920 --> 00:04:07,000 Speaker 1: But also some people note that it has a a 64 00:04:07,320 --> 00:04:11,040 Speaker 1: more impressive reputation than a fine art school. So I'm 65 00:04:11,080 --> 00:04:14,000 Speaker 1: not sure what the scoop is there, just so you know. 66 00:04:15,200 --> 00:04:17,560 Speaker 1: But here's the thing, the fine arts schools of the 67 00:04:17,600 --> 00:04:22,480 Speaker 1: city actually became a place of strife for Torres Garcia artistically. 68 00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:26,080 Speaker 1: He really did not care for the traditional and conservative 69 00:04:26,080 --> 00:04:29,560 Speaker 1: style that the Academy in particular focused on. He found 70 00:04:29,600 --> 00:04:33,880 Speaker 1: it just restrictive and frustrating. He was not interested at 71 00:04:33,880 --> 00:04:36,919 Speaker 1: all in art that sought to replicate the real world. 72 00:04:37,320 --> 00:04:41,520 Speaker 1: His personal ideology was that art should create new worlds. 73 00:04:42,160 --> 00:04:45,160 Speaker 1: This is something that will carry through his entire life. 74 00:04:45,200 --> 00:04:48,080 Speaker 1: He also joined the art society known as the Circular 75 00:04:48,200 --> 00:04:50,800 Speaker 1: Artistique de Saint Luke, which had been founded in the 76 00:04:50,839 --> 00:04:54,279 Speaker 1: city in eighteen ninety three. And this group, which was 77 00:04:54,360 --> 00:04:58,120 Speaker 1: known for a very pro Catholic and anti modernism stance, 78 00:04:58,160 --> 00:05:00,960 Speaker 1: seems like a pretty odd place for touris is Garcia 79 00:05:01,080 --> 00:05:05,880 Speaker 1: because he would eventually go all in on Modernism simultaneously 80 00:05:05,960 --> 00:05:08,719 Speaker 1: to make money for himself after finishing art school, he 81 00:05:08,800 --> 00:05:11,320 Speaker 1: also worked in an area that seems counter to where 82 00:05:11,320 --> 00:05:13,680 Speaker 1: he would end up. He worked as an illustrator for 83 00:05:13,720 --> 00:05:17,440 Speaker 1: a while, working at Barcelona Comica and La Saeta, which 84 00:05:17,480 --> 00:05:19,880 Speaker 1: was a magazine about the theater scene of the city. 85 00:05:20,400 --> 00:05:25,080 Speaker 1: Flora's Garcia became really enamored with Impressionism during the stage 86 00:05:25,120 --> 00:05:28,479 Speaker 1: of his life and studying the work of artists like 87 00:05:28,720 --> 00:05:33,159 Speaker 1: Nre Toulouse. The Trek was very influential. In eighteen ninety seven, 88 00:05:33,240 --> 00:05:37,039 Speaker 1: he had his first solo exhibition, showing in the exhibition 89 00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:41,080 Speaker 1: space of one of the city's newspapers, by Van Guardia Espanola. 90 00:05:42,080 --> 00:05:45,400 Speaker 1: That year he painted a work titled Garden of the 91 00:05:45,400 --> 00:05:49,320 Speaker 1: Gallery of Fine Arts, and his rendition of wealthy patrons 92 00:05:49,480 --> 00:05:53,400 Speaker 1: milling about the space reflected the influence that Impressionism had 93 00:05:53,440 --> 00:05:57,560 Speaker 1: on him during this time. In June eighteen ninety seven, 94 00:05:57,720 --> 00:06:01,080 Speaker 1: a cafe called El Catre Gat the Four Cats open 95 00:06:01,160 --> 00:06:05,520 Speaker 1: in Barcelona, run by entrepreneur per Romeo, who had previously 96 00:06:05,520 --> 00:06:08,080 Speaker 1: worked at La Cha Noir in Paris and wanted to 97 00:06:08,120 --> 00:06:11,960 Speaker 1: develop a space like it in Barcelona. In this cafe 98 00:06:12,240 --> 00:06:14,520 Speaker 1: became a haven for the artists of the city, and 99 00:06:14,560 --> 00:06:17,200 Speaker 1: a number of now famous figures of the art world 100 00:06:17,240 --> 00:06:23,240 Speaker 1: gathered there, including Anthony Gaudi, Pablo Picasso, and Joaquin torres Garcia. 101 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:27,159 Speaker 1: Al Catre Gat had its own magazine and the artists 102 00:06:27,200 --> 00:06:30,719 Speaker 1: of the day contributed to it. Through this gathering place, 103 00:06:30,760 --> 00:06:34,200 Speaker 1: torres Garcia would become connected to many artists, some of 104 00:06:34,240 --> 00:06:39,040 Speaker 1: whom would become future collaborators. Also, incidentally, that cafe is 105 00:06:39,080 --> 00:06:42,480 Speaker 1: still open and you can still visit it, so if 106 00:06:42,520 --> 00:06:45,040 Speaker 1: you want to get some art history in while you're 107 00:06:45,080 --> 00:06:49,280 Speaker 1: visiting Spain, go for it. Torres Garcia was also in 108 00:06:49,279 --> 00:06:51,560 Speaker 1: the circle of artists who would routinely meet at the 109 00:06:51,600 --> 00:06:55,560 Speaker 1: studio of sculptor and painter Julio Gonzalez, who became known 110 00:06:55,880 --> 00:07:00,760 Speaker 1: for his unique modernist metalwork. The early twentieth century was 111 00:07:00,800 --> 00:07:03,760 Speaker 1: a time of significant growth and change, both good and 112 00:07:03,839 --> 00:07:06,279 Speaker 1: bad for the artist. By the time he was in 113 00:07:06,320 --> 00:07:10,760 Speaker 1: his mid twenties, Joaquin was dabbling in Modern Classicism, which 114 00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:14,520 Speaker 1: dominated the work that torres Garcia painted up until his forties. 115 00:07:15,240 --> 00:07:18,360 Speaker 1: He had his second solo exhibit in the same gallery 116 00:07:18,360 --> 00:07:22,160 Speaker 1: space as his first in nineteen hundred, where this influence 117 00:07:22,280 --> 00:07:26,000 Speaker 1: was really starting to show. That exhibit was very well 118 00:07:26,080 --> 00:07:30,600 Speaker 1: reviewed and it's considered his first significant success as an artist. 119 00:07:31,200 --> 00:07:34,920 Speaker 1: In nineteen oh one, he started giving drawing lessons, capitalizing 120 00:07:34,960 --> 00:07:37,280 Speaker 1: on the reputation that he was building in the city. 121 00:07:38,040 --> 00:07:41,480 Speaker 1: Among his clients was a pair of sisters, Carolina and 122 00:07:41,560 --> 00:07:45,880 Speaker 1: Medlita Pina. Joaquin and Medalita fell in love, but as 123 00:07:45,920 --> 00:07:51,120 Speaker 1: that relationship was just beginning, Joaquin's father died and he 124 00:07:51,280 --> 00:07:55,320 Speaker 1: was grieving, but his success continued. One of his landscapes, 125 00:07:55,360 --> 00:07:58,000 Speaker 1: a painting called Fountain of Youth, was featured on the 126 00:07:58,040 --> 00:08:01,640 Speaker 1: cover of the magazine pell Enploma, a journal dedicated to 127 00:08:01,800 --> 00:08:06,280 Speaker 1: arts and literature in Catalan culture. The beliaric poet Juan 128 00:08:06,360 --> 00:08:10,200 Speaker 1: Alcoveri mans Pons also as Torres Garcia, to illustrate the 129 00:08:10,200 --> 00:08:12,720 Speaker 1: book of poems that he published that year that was 130 00:08:12,760 --> 00:08:18,440 Speaker 1: titled Mitiorros. Catalan author narcis Ole also had Joaquin illustrate 131 00:08:18,520 --> 00:08:21,920 Speaker 1: his book La Bofetada that same year. So he was 132 00:08:21,960 --> 00:08:27,400 Speaker 1: getting all of these commissions while simultaneously preparing another solo exhibition. 133 00:08:28,160 --> 00:08:30,320 Speaker 1: In just a moment, we'll get to a project that 134 00:08:30,400 --> 00:08:34,280 Speaker 1: Torres Garcia undertook with a name that'll be familiar to 135 00:08:34,400 --> 00:08:38,760 Speaker 1: longtime podcast listeners. First, though, we will pause for a 136 00:08:38,800 --> 00:08:51,520 Speaker 1: sponsor break. In nineteen oh three, Torres Garcia worked with 137 00:08:51,559 --> 00:08:54,440 Speaker 1: another podcast subject who we mentioned briefly earlier, and that 138 00:08:54,559 --> 00:08:59,079 Speaker 1: is Anthony Gaudi. Gaudi had been working as chief architect 139 00:08:59,120 --> 00:09:02,920 Speaker 1: on La Sagrada Famlia since eighteen eighty three, and at 140 00:09:02,960 --> 00:09:05,600 Speaker 1: the beginning of the twentieth century, he and Taurus Garcia 141 00:09:05,679 --> 00:09:10,319 Speaker 1: collaborated on stained glass windows to the structure that project. 142 00:09:10,640 --> 00:09:13,679 Speaker 1: The collaboration between the two of them not Sagrada Familia, 143 00:09:13,720 --> 00:09:17,080 Speaker 1: which is still under construction, although in the final stretch 144 00:09:17,120 --> 00:09:20,559 Speaker 1: to completion, but the project with the two men lasted 145 00:09:20,559 --> 00:09:23,240 Speaker 1: for four years, from nineteen oh three to nineteen oh seven, 146 00:09:23,760 --> 00:09:26,720 Speaker 1: and during that same time Torres Garcia was also working 147 00:09:26,720 --> 00:09:30,239 Speaker 1: on stained glass window design for another church, the Cathedral 148 00:09:30,280 --> 00:09:34,079 Speaker 1: of Palma de Majorca. It was also in nineteen oh 149 00:09:34,080 --> 00:09:37,480 Speaker 1: three that Joaquin started to put his ideas about art 150 00:09:37,720 --> 00:09:41,840 Speaker 1: out into the world through writing his first article titled 151 00:09:41,880 --> 00:09:45,200 Speaker 1: Augusta A Augusta was a treatise on his belief that 152 00:09:45,360 --> 00:09:49,760 Speaker 1: true art should not copy reality. This was the first 153 00:09:49,800 --> 00:09:53,120 Speaker 1: of many many essays, books and articles that he would 154 00:09:53,120 --> 00:09:55,920 Speaker 1: produce on art theory in his life, which is why 155 00:09:55,920 --> 00:10:00,480 Speaker 1: he's often labeled as a theorist in addition to an artist. Yeah, 156 00:10:00,640 --> 00:10:04,480 Speaker 1: just hundreds of things that he published. Torres Garcia also 157 00:10:04,640 --> 00:10:07,200 Speaker 1: found work as a muralist, and he was commissioned to 158 00:10:07,240 --> 00:10:11,120 Speaker 1: create mural paintings for public and private spaces, from homes 159 00:10:11,120 --> 00:10:15,240 Speaker 1: to churches and also secular public buildings. His work on 160 00:10:15,320 --> 00:10:18,280 Speaker 1: Fresco murals was something that really appealed to him because 161 00:10:18,320 --> 00:10:22,360 Speaker 1: of its connection with old world art. In nineteen oh four, 162 00:10:22,400 --> 00:10:25,520 Speaker 1: he was commissioned to create six large murals for the 163 00:10:25,640 --> 00:10:28,880 Speaker 1: Church of San Agustino and several for the Iglesia de 164 00:10:28,960 --> 00:10:33,160 Speaker 1: la Divina Pastora. He completed the work in nineteen oh eight, 165 00:10:33,320 --> 00:10:37,960 Speaker 1: but those works are all unfortunately lost today. The church 166 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:40,880 Speaker 1: of San Agustino burned in nineteen thirty six and the 167 00:10:40,920 --> 00:10:44,160 Speaker 1: works in the Davinia Pastora were destroyed during the Spanish 168 00:10:44,200 --> 00:10:48,120 Speaker 1: Civil War. But in his time, Torres Garcia was kept 169 00:10:48,280 --> 00:10:52,400 Speaker 1: really busy with these and many other mural commissions. In 170 00:10:52,440 --> 00:10:55,319 Speaker 1: addition to the religious commissions, he was asked to decorate 171 00:10:55,360 --> 00:10:59,400 Speaker 1: the office of the Barcelona City Council Finance officer, as 172 00:10:59,400 --> 00:11:03,200 Speaker 1: well as others private homes throughout the city. In nineteen 173 00:11:03,240 --> 00:11:06,800 Speaker 1: oh nine, Joaquin and Menolita were married after an eight 174 00:11:06,880 --> 00:11:10,200 Speaker 1: year courtship. Not long after the marriage, he was called 175 00:11:10,240 --> 00:11:12,640 Speaker 1: to Brussels for a commission, and he lived there for 176 00:11:12,679 --> 00:11:17,080 Speaker 1: almost half a year. This commission was for the exhibisiitial 177 00:11:17,120 --> 00:11:22,359 Speaker 1: In universal Internationale de Brussels and Torres Garcia created agricultural 178 00:11:22,480 --> 00:11:27,199 Speaker 1: landscapes for the Uruguay Pavilion. While he was in Brussels, 179 00:11:27,200 --> 00:11:29,280 Speaker 1: he started to work on a book project that was 180 00:11:29,320 --> 00:11:34,440 Speaker 1: simply titled Brussel nineteen ten. It featured watercolor and ink 181 00:11:34,520 --> 00:11:37,640 Speaker 1: pieces that captured the seeds of Paris and Brussels as 182 00:11:37,679 --> 00:11:40,800 Speaker 1: he had seen them. That's because after finishing up his 183 00:11:40,840 --> 00:11:43,040 Speaker 1: work in Brussels, he had gone to Paris before he 184 00:11:43,120 --> 00:11:46,440 Speaker 1: returned home, and the style of art in this book 185 00:11:46,600 --> 00:11:49,320 Speaker 1: was also the basis for his next exhibition, which was 186 00:11:49,360 --> 00:11:53,719 Speaker 1: mounted in Barcelona. When he returned home, Joaquin and Menolita 187 00:11:53,760 --> 00:11:57,160 Speaker 1: set up a home in Lasar de DeMar, which is 188 00:11:57,240 --> 00:12:01,560 Speaker 1: near Mazaro, where his father's family was from. On April third, 189 00:12:01,640 --> 00:12:06,240 Speaker 1: nineteen eleven, the couple welcomed a daughter named Olympia Taurus 190 00:12:06,240 --> 00:12:09,280 Speaker 1: Garcia had grown notable enough that he soon had another 191 00:12:09,520 --> 00:12:13,760 Speaker 1: lucrative government contract. The Palau de la General Latade, a 192 00:12:13,840 --> 00:12:17,480 Speaker 1: gorgeous palace dating back to the fourteen hundreds, needed some 193 00:12:17,520 --> 00:12:20,760 Speaker 1: renovation and restoration for its new use as the seat 194 00:12:20,800 --> 00:12:24,680 Speaker 1: of the Provincial Council of Barcelona, and Joaquin was selected 195 00:12:24,679 --> 00:12:28,400 Speaker 1: to work on the project by creating several murals. This 196 00:12:28,679 --> 00:12:31,959 Speaker 1: was an important collaborative project, and to prepare for the 197 00:12:32,040 --> 00:12:35,120 Speaker 1: murals that he was to paint Taurus, Garcia traveled to 198 00:12:35,200 --> 00:12:39,000 Speaker 1: Italy to study fresco work there, sketching ideas as he 199 00:12:39,080 --> 00:12:43,120 Speaker 1: made his journey. There were plans for six frescoes in total, 200 00:12:43,160 --> 00:12:47,960 Speaker 1: although only four ended up being painted. As nineteen thirteen progressed, 201 00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:51,960 Speaker 1: he became fascinated with Mediterranean art and the idea that 202 00:12:52,040 --> 00:12:55,840 Speaker 1: traditional arts and crafts should be recognized and incorporated into 203 00:12:55,960 --> 00:13:00,000 Speaker 1: modern contexts. With that in mind, he founded the Sarius 204 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:03,760 Speaker 1: School of Decoration and started teaching both theory and hands 205 00:13:03,800 --> 00:13:07,360 Speaker 1: on art. During this time, he was continuing to work 206 00:13:07,360 --> 00:13:11,479 Speaker 1: on his fresco for the council building. Joaquin and Menalita 207 00:13:11,559 --> 00:13:15,559 Speaker 1: also had their second child in nineteen thirteen. Their son, Augusto, 208 00:13:15,760 --> 00:13:19,640 Speaker 1: was born on June nineteenth. As Torres Garcia was working 209 00:13:19,679 --> 00:13:23,080 Speaker 1: on his mural plans and welcoming a new child, he 210 00:13:23,200 --> 00:13:26,559 Speaker 1: was also preparing and publishing his first book of writing 211 00:13:26,960 --> 00:13:30,160 Speaker 1: notes on art. This marked a moment where he was 212 00:13:30,280 --> 00:13:33,680 Speaker 1: diverging from the artistic ideologies of some of his friends 213 00:13:33,679 --> 00:13:37,000 Speaker 1: and supporters, as the concepts that he talked about creating 214 00:13:37,040 --> 00:13:40,400 Speaker 1: a new identity for Catalan art by using imagery from 215 00:13:40,440 --> 00:13:45,440 Speaker 1: the past was not really well received by everyone. No, 216 00:13:45,600 --> 00:13:48,520 Speaker 1: and that played through in the reveal of his murals, 217 00:13:48,559 --> 00:13:52,040 Speaker 1: because in September Torres Garcia's murals for the Palau de 218 00:13:52,120 --> 00:13:56,559 Speaker 1: la Generalitat were finally unveiled, and the response to them 219 00:13:56,960 --> 00:14:02,040 Speaker 1: was very, very mixed. Those four murals are titled Cataloonia Eternal, 220 00:14:02,320 --> 00:14:06,400 Speaker 1: the Golden Age, the Muses, and the Temporal is nothing 221 00:14:06,440 --> 00:14:10,359 Speaker 1: but a symbol. The room that houses these murals, incidentally, 222 00:14:10,520 --> 00:14:13,760 Speaker 1: is now named after the artist. But these murals use 223 00:14:13,840 --> 00:14:18,240 Speaker 1: imagery and symbology from classic Greek art as stand ins 224 00:14:18,280 --> 00:14:22,600 Speaker 1: for Catalonian peoples and concepts to create a new, unique 225 00:14:22,680 --> 00:14:27,360 Speaker 1: Catalonian classicism and arguments about the value of this new 226 00:14:27,400 --> 00:14:30,680 Speaker 1: style that Torres Garcia had developed or its perceived lack 227 00:14:30,720 --> 00:14:34,960 Speaker 1: of value played out in the press for weeks, but 228 00:14:35,200 --> 00:14:37,880 Speaker 1: two years later a stained glass window that he designed 229 00:14:37,880 --> 00:14:40,400 Speaker 1: for the building was also installed, so even if not 230 00:14:40,480 --> 00:14:43,920 Speaker 1: everyone liked his work, they kept hiring him. Torres Garcia 231 00:14:43,960 --> 00:14:47,200 Speaker 1: had decided that he also wanted to paint some large 232 00:14:47,200 --> 00:14:51,040 Speaker 1: scale murals for himself, and once the Palau project was 233 00:14:51,040 --> 00:14:54,720 Speaker 1: wrapped up, he started several at Malreposts, which was a 234 00:14:54,720 --> 00:14:57,960 Speaker 1: farmhouse that had been home to an art school called 235 00:14:58,080 --> 00:15:01,480 Speaker 1: Mondour that Woaquin had left after it was founded by 236 00:15:01,480 --> 00:15:05,960 Speaker 1: his friend Juan palal Vera. The school had originally been 237 00:15:06,080 --> 00:15:09,720 Speaker 1: in Saria, but torres Garcia had moved it to Tarasa, 238 00:15:09,720 --> 00:15:14,320 Speaker 1: just north of Barcelona. When the school closed due to bankruptcy, 239 00:15:14,400 --> 00:15:16,760 Speaker 1: he decided to stay on the property and make it 240 00:15:16,840 --> 00:15:20,600 Speaker 1: his home. When the interior decor work had been completed, 241 00:15:20,680 --> 00:15:23,720 Speaker 1: he moved in with his family and had a large 242 00:15:23,800 --> 00:15:27,800 Speaker 1: housewarming to show off the home and the work. At 243 00:15:27,800 --> 00:15:30,400 Speaker 1: the end of nineteen fifteen, he and his wife welcomed 244 00:15:30,440 --> 00:15:34,520 Speaker 1: their third child and second daughter, Ephigenia, That was on 245 00:15:34,560 --> 00:15:39,320 Speaker 1: December tenth. Throughout the nineteen teens, torres Garcia continued to 246 00:15:39,440 --> 00:15:45,240 Speaker 1: publish books and articles about art. In nineteen seventeen, Spain 247 00:15:45,560 --> 00:15:49,040 Speaker 1: went through a great deal of upheaval during World War One. 248 00:15:49,080 --> 00:15:52,720 Speaker 1: The country had remained neutral, but it had its own problems. 249 00:15:53,120 --> 00:15:56,280 Speaker 1: There were a variety of economic issues happening at once, 250 00:15:56,520 --> 00:16:00,640 Speaker 1: and workers' movements, encouraged by the uprising happening in Russia, 251 00:16:00,800 --> 00:16:05,160 Speaker 1: felt a sense of empowerment and strikes were looming. Meanwhile, 252 00:16:05,200 --> 00:16:08,840 Speaker 1: there was also political tension as factions wanted a variety 253 00:16:08,880 --> 00:16:13,760 Speaker 1: of different things, including autonomy for Catalonia and reformation or 254 00:16:13,800 --> 00:16:17,160 Speaker 1: even an end to the monarchy. There was also a 255 00:16:17,240 --> 00:16:20,720 Speaker 1: growing gap between the rich and poor, so on a 256 00:16:20,760 --> 00:16:24,240 Speaker 1: social level there was a lot of disparity, and the 257 00:16:24,280 --> 00:16:27,560 Speaker 1: military was in a state of upheaval at its highest levels. 258 00:16:28,480 --> 00:16:31,080 Speaker 1: This period is very complex. It's come up on the 259 00:16:31,080 --> 00:16:33,760 Speaker 1: show before, and we could probably do an entire series 260 00:16:33,760 --> 00:16:36,880 Speaker 1: on it, but for the purposes of today's topic, the 261 00:16:36,920 --> 00:16:39,920 Speaker 1: important takeaway is that this was a time of uncertainty 262 00:16:40,320 --> 00:16:42,800 Speaker 1: and there was an atmosphere in the air of danger. 263 00:16:43,680 --> 00:16:47,600 Speaker 1: As the Spanish Crisis of nineteen seventeen was playing outs, 264 00:16:47,640 --> 00:16:52,880 Speaker 1: it naturally impacted and influenced Torres Garcia. His paintings offer 265 00:16:52,920 --> 00:16:55,920 Speaker 1: reflections of what life was like in Barcelona at the 266 00:16:55,960 --> 00:17:00,320 Speaker 1: time through his unique lens. His work Barcelona Street, seen 267 00:17:00,440 --> 00:17:03,600 Speaker 1: painted in nineteen seventeen, shows the world of the busy 268 00:17:03,680 --> 00:17:08,560 Speaker 1: city in a Cubism influenced, flattened manner, giving viewers a 269 00:17:08,600 --> 00:17:13,479 Speaker 1: sense of disconnectedness and a city that seems simultaneously busy 270 00:17:13,600 --> 00:17:18,960 Speaker 1: but also not quite alive. After the Catalonian president Henrique 271 00:17:18,960 --> 00:17:22,080 Speaker 1: Pratt de la Riba died in August of nineteen seventeen, 272 00:17:22,520 --> 00:17:27,760 Speaker 1: Torres Garcia canceled all of his existing government contracts. Without 273 00:17:27,880 --> 00:17:31,280 Speaker 1: those lucrative contracts, he found himself with both time on 274 00:17:31,359 --> 00:17:34,760 Speaker 1: his hands and also a need for money, so he 275 00:17:34,840 --> 00:17:39,280 Speaker 1: started branching out into different fields. One of the areas 276 00:17:39,280 --> 00:17:43,480 Speaker 1: he started to explore was making wooden toys, and these 277 00:17:43,480 --> 00:17:46,720 Speaker 1: were initially to be used as teaching tools. He used 278 00:17:46,720 --> 00:17:50,320 Speaker 1: them to show students how simple pieces and shapes could 279 00:17:50,359 --> 00:17:54,000 Speaker 1: be combined to create more complex works, although his toy 280 00:17:54,040 --> 00:17:58,080 Speaker 1: making would eventually become a business on his own. Also 281 00:17:58,119 --> 00:18:01,080 Speaker 1: to start making money, he once again started giving private 282 00:18:01,200 --> 00:18:05,760 Speaker 1: art lessons. In nineteen twenty, Torres Garcia decided to travel 283 00:18:05,800 --> 00:18:08,639 Speaker 1: to the United States. After a brief trip with the 284 00:18:08,640 --> 00:18:12,040 Speaker 1: family to Paris, he spent the next two years in 285 00:18:12,119 --> 00:18:14,880 Speaker 1: New York and made connections with a lot of prominent 286 00:18:15,000 --> 00:18:20,080 Speaker 1: artists of the time, including Manray and Marcel Duchamp. But 287 00:18:20,280 --> 00:18:22,800 Speaker 1: while he was very much in the art scene, he 288 00:18:22,960 --> 00:18:26,919 Speaker 1: wasn't able to generate any actual income, and that was 289 00:18:26,960 --> 00:18:30,800 Speaker 1: obviously not a tenable situation, so he left New York 290 00:18:30,880 --> 00:18:33,919 Speaker 1: for Europe once again. Although he hadn't made any money, 291 00:18:34,400 --> 00:18:37,439 Speaker 1: he was more interested in modernism than ever, and it 292 00:18:37,480 --> 00:18:40,840 Speaker 1: became the prevalent influence on his work from that point on. 293 00:18:42,000 --> 00:18:45,080 Speaker 1: In nineteen twenty two, when he returned to Europe, he 294 00:18:45,119 --> 00:18:48,439 Speaker 1: didn't go back to Barcelona, and he never did. He 295 00:18:48,560 --> 00:18:52,560 Speaker 1: went instead to Italy and there he founded the Aladdin 296 00:18:52,640 --> 00:18:56,240 Speaker 1: toy Company. He actually started to do a decent bit 297 00:18:56,320 --> 00:18:58,679 Speaker 1: of business in the toy space, and he was taking 298 00:18:58,800 --> 00:19:02,080 Speaker 1: orders from big departments stores, many of them in other 299 00:19:02,160 --> 00:19:05,879 Speaker 1: countries in some cases. And his toys are interesting because 300 00:19:05,920 --> 00:19:08,920 Speaker 1: they look a lot like his other art. The forms 301 00:19:08,960 --> 00:19:13,560 Speaker 1: they represent are slightly abstracted and even cubist. For example, 302 00:19:13,600 --> 00:19:16,479 Speaker 1: wooden figures made to look sort of like men, feature 303 00:19:16,560 --> 00:19:20,400 Speaker 1: very squared faces, and their arms are not separated from 304 00:19:20,400 --> 00:19:23,240 Speaker 1: their body. They're cut as one continuous piece of wood, 305 00:19:23,680 --> 00:19:26,600 Speaker 1: and they're only delineated, for example, by a small stripe 306 00:19:26,640 --> 00:19:29,919 Speaker 1: of paint that hints at a cuff sitting above the hand. 307 00:19:30,840 --> 00:19:34,200 Speaker 1: So he was finding some business success with this toy work. 308 00:19:34,800 --> 00:19:38,480 Speaker 1: On the family front, he and Menalito welcome their fourth child, Horatio, 309 00:19:38,560 --> 00:19:40,840 Speaker 1: while they were living in Italy in nineteen twenty four, 310 00:19:41,880 --> 00:19:45,119 Speaker 1: but he wasn't painting, and it wasn't until US artist 311 00:19:45,240 --> 00:19:48,160 Speaker 1: Charles Lagasa, who was in Europe and planning a group 312 00:19:48,240 --> 00:19:51,600 Speaker 1: exhibition in Paris, encouraged him to pick up his brush 313 00:19:51,680 --> 00:19:56,960 Speaker 1: again that torres Garcia once again started painting. That exhibition 314 00:19:57,040 --> 00:20:00,600 Speaker 1: went very well and the positive reception to a move 315 00:20:00,720 --> 00:20:04,760 Speaker 1: to Paris in nineteen twenty six. Like many artists we 316 00:20:04,840 --> 00:20:07,359 Speaker 1: have talked about on the show in the past, torres 317 00:20:07,359 --> 00:20:11,359 Speaker 1: Garcia applied to be included in the Paris Salon, but 318 00:20:11,440 --> 00:20:15,000 Speaker 1: he was denied entry. So in nineteen twenty eight he 319 00:20:15,240 --> 00:20:19,240 Speaker 1: and four other artists mounted their own show titled five 320 00:20:19,400 --> 00:20:23,800 Speaker 1: Artists Refused by the Jury of the Autumn Salon. The 321 00:20:23,920 --> 00:20:26,880 Speaker 1: movement in Paris, where a lot of artists came out 322 00:20:26,880 --> 00:20:30,199 Speaker 1: in solidarity and as a consequence, Joaquin found himself with 323 00:20:30,280 --> 00:20:34,640 Speaker 1: a fresh circle of friends. Together he and several others 324 00:20:34,760 --> 00:20:37,879 Speaker 1: formed a group known as Circle e Care or Circle 325 00:20:37,960 --> 00:20:41,600 Speaker 1: and Square. Circle e Care had its own magazine and 326 00:20:41,760 --> 00:20:45,560 Speaker 1: as an organization, it promoted constructivism as an art movement. 327 00:20:46,240 --> 00:20:49,160 Speaker 1: And coming up, we will talk more about constructivism and 328 00:20:49,240 --> 00:20:53,080 Speaker 1: how trus Garcia implemented it in his work, but first 329 00:20:53,080 --> 00:20:55,520 Speaker 1: we will hear from the sponsors that keep the show going. 330 00:21:05,160 --> 00:21:10,040 Speaker 1: Constructivism became very important to Torres Garcia in the nineteen twenties. 331 00:21:10,680 --> 00:21:13,879 Speaker 1: So the movement of constructivism in art makes use of 332 00:21:13,960 --> 00:21:18,240 Speaker 1: geometric shapes and materials often used in literal building, construction, 333 00:21:18,760 --> 00:21:22,600 Speaker 1: or other industrial pursuits to create the finished work. And 334 00:21:22,640 --> 00:21:25,679 Speaker 1: this movement began in Russia in nineteen seventeen and it 335 00:21:25,760 --> 00:21:30,000 Speaker 1: embraced this spare, abstract esthetic that's intended to mirror the 336 00:21:30,040 --> 00:21:34,960 Speaker 1: modern world. This interest on torres Garcia's part makes sense 337 00:21:35,040 --> 00:21:37,120 Speaker 1: because it ties together the work that he was doing 338 00:21:37,160 --> 00:21:41,359 Speaker 1: with toys into the more abstract work of art. Many 339 00:21:41,480 --> 00:21:45,280 Speaker 1: of torres Garcia's most famous paintings of his constructivist period 340 00:21:45,320 --> 00:21:49,359 Speaker 1: feature what is essentially a loose grid structure, with each 341 00:21:49,440 --> 00:21:53,000 Speaker 1: section of that grid filled in with different images, almost 342 00:21:53,040 --> 00:21:55,679 Speaker 1: like a modernist painting of a shadow box or a 343 00:21:55,760 --> 00:21:59,920 Speaker 1: curio cabinet. Just as it seemed as though torres Garcia 344 00:22:00,119 --> 00:22:03,159 Speaker 1: had really hit a stride and found a supportive and 345 00:22:03,280 --> 00:22:08,000 Speaker 1: invigorating group of colleagues. Paris hit an economic wall in 346 00:22:08,080 --> 00:22:11,399 Speaker 1: nineteen thirty two, of course, along with a lot of 347 00:22:11,480 --> 00:22:13,880 Speaker 1: the rest of the world, because that Great depression had 348 00:22:13,920 --> 00:22:17,080 Speaker 1: finally made its way to Europe, and in France's capital 349 00:22:17,160 --> 00:22:22,800 Speaker 1: that meant unemployment soared, tourism really evaporated in factories shut down. 350 00:22:23,119 --> 00:22:26,360 Speaker 1: As the financial collapse played out, torres Garcia took his 351 00:22:26,359 --> 00:22:29,960 Speaker 1: family to Madrid. He and several of the artists from 352 00:22:29,960 --> 00:22:33,400 Speaker 1: his group show and Paris got another group together called 353 00:22:33,440 --> 00:22:38,639 Speaker 1: Grupo Constructivo, and even published several guides on art. But 354 00:22:38,840 --> 00:22:42,000 Speaker 1: Madrid really didn't keep Joaquin's attention. He started to think 355 00:22:42,000 --> 00:22:46,119 Speaker 1: about South America. In nineteen thirty four, he left Europe 356 00:22:46,160 --> 00:22:49,000 Speaker 1: behind for good, bringing Medalita and the children to his 357 00:22:49,040 --> 00:22:53,000 Speaker 1: home country of Uruguay. After living in Europe for more 358 00:22:53,040 --> 00:22:57,760 Speaker 1: than forty years, Joaquin tourres Garcia returned to Montevideo, and 359 00:22:57,840 --> 00:23:01,600 Speaker 1: this time he had a very specific goal. He wanted 360 00:23:01,640 --> 00:23:06,680 Speaker 1: to bring constructivism and modernism to Latin America. He believed 361 00:23:06,720 --> 00:23:10,800 Speaker 1: and taught that modern art and specifically the constructivist universalist 362 00:23:10,840 --> 00:23:13,679 Speaker 1: movement offered the world a chance to see things that 363 00:23:13,720 --> 00:23:17,359 Speaker 1: were not bound by the rules of classic aestheticism, and 364 00:23:17,480 --> 00:23:20,520 Speaker 1: so those pieces of art would enable them to access 365 00:23:20,560 --> 00:23:23,840 Speaker 1: a deeper understanding of the world and life as they 366 00:23:23,880 --> 00:23:27,480 Speaker 1: sought to understand the art. This was a case where 367 00:23:27,520 --> 00:23:29,960 Speaker 1: he really walked the walk in terms of wanting to 368 00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:33,360 Speaker 1: promote his ideas. He went on radio shows to talk 369 00:23:33,400 --> 00:23:35,560 Speaker 1: about them, and he wrote articles about them, and he 370 00:23:35,560 --> 00:23:38,760 Speaker 1: gave lectures, and he edited art journals, and he basically 371 00:23:38,800 --> 00:23:44,119 Speaker 1: did everything he could to promote modernism. He continued to 372 00:23:44,200 --> 00:23:48,320 Speaker 1: make new avenues to share his ideas about art. As 373 00:23:48,359 --> 00:23:50,640 Speaker 1: part of his vision for bringing all of the arts 374 00:23:50,680 --> 00:23:54,840 Speaker 1: together and bridging communication between the art world and the public, 375 00:23:55,359 --> 00:23:59,320 Speaker 1: he formed the Uruguay Society of Arts. He started organizing 376 00:23:59,359 --> 00:24:03,320 Speaker 1: group exhibit that showcased a wide range of Uruguayan artists 377 00:24:03,400 --> 00:24:06,560 Speaker 1: and also included foreign visitors to the country. From time 378 00:24:06,600 --> 00:24:10,720 Speaker 1: to time, he also started showing his work alongside that 379 00:24:10,800 --> 00:24:14,919 Speaker 1: of his son Augusto. All of the Torres Garcia children 380 00:24:14,960 --> 00:24:17,320 Speaker 1: were artistic, and three of them went on to be 381 00:24:17,480 --> 00:24:21,200 Speaker 1: artists in their own right. He became an honorary member 382 00:24:21,240 --> 00:24:24,560 Speaker 1: of the faculty at the Montevideo School of Architecture in 383 00:24:24,640 --> 00:24:28,800 Speaker 1: nineteen thirty four. He also formed a workshop called School 384 00:24:28,840 --> 00:24:31,680 Speaker 1: of the South, which encouraged artists to focus on their 385 00:24:31,760 --> 00:24:37,320 Speaker 1: local inspirations instead of aspiring to anything going on in Europe. 386 00:24:37,400 --> 00:24:39,919 Speaker 1: As part of his effort to teach his art theory, 387 00:24:40,000 --> 00:24:44,080 Speaker 1: he founded the Association of Constructivist Art in nineteen thirty five. 388 00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:48,879 Speaker 1: Pre Columbian art had started to really influence Torres Garcia's 389 00:24:48,920 --> 00:24:51,720 Speaker 1: work in the nineteen thirties, and it informed the way 390 00:24:51,720 --> 00:24:56,120 Speaker 1: that he viewed modernism. He used the Association of Constructivist 391 00:24:56,240 --> 00:24:59,159 Speaker 1: Art to share information and ideas about the future of 392 00:24:59,280 --> 00:25:02,800 Speaker 1: art and how modernism should be part of Latin American art, 393 00:25:03,160 --> 00:25:06,160 Speaker 1: and that Latin America, with all of its history, should 394 00:25:06,160 --> 00:25:09,600 Speaker 1: have a voice and its own influence on the modernist movement. 395 00:25:10,800 --> 00:25:14,919 Speaker 1: This mode of thinking was not well received by everyone, though. 396 00:25:15,480 --> 00:25:17,720 Speaker 1: A lot of the art scene in Uruguay was still 397 00:25:17,840 --> 00:25:21,600 Speaker 1: very devoted to the idea that the European art establishment 398 00:25:21,720 --> 00:25:24,840 Speaker 1: was superior to all the others, and all this rhetoric 399 00:25:24,880 --> 00:25:30,160 Speaker 1: about shaking everything up seemed extremist. Torres Garcia soon came 400 00:25:30,200 --> 00:25:32,560 Speaker 1: to be viewed as a firebrand of the art world. 401 00:25:33,040 --> 00:25:36,040 Speaker 1: He formed a Latin American version of Circle and Square, 402 00:25:36,280 --> 00:25:39,000 Speaker 1: with the motto of the group and its publication being 403 00:25:39,560 --> 00:25:45,880 Speaker 1: total intransigence against Naturalism. In nineteen thirty eight, he created 404 00:25:45,920 --> 00:25:49,800 Speaker 1: a work of sculpture called Monumento Cosmico. It's a very 405 00:25:49,800 --> 00:25:52,680 Speaker 1: famous work of art and it's a fascinating sculpture because 406 00:25:52,680 --> 00:25:55,879 Speaker 1: it looks very very much like a giant version of 407 00:25:55,920 --> 00:26:00,199 Speaker 1: one of his paintings, the grid is in play. This 408 00:26:00,280 --> 00:26:04,160 Speaker 1: work is essentially a giant slab of pink granite. It's 409 00:26:04,200 --> 00:26:07,480 Speaker 1: three hundred by five hundred sixty by forty five centimeters 410 00:26:07,600 --> 00:26:10,200 Speaker 1: or one hundred and eighteen by two hundred and twenty 411 00:26:10,240 --> 00:26:14,280 Speaker 1: by eighteen inches, and it features the uneven grid pattern 412 00:26:14,320 --> 00:26:17,480 Speaker 1: that he used in many of his paintings, particularly when 413 00:26:17,480 --> 00:26:20,880 Speaker 1: he was in Paris, and there's a symbol or image 414 00:26:20,920 --> 00:26:24,560 Speaker 1: occupying each space. This well known work is part of 415 00:26:24,560 --> 00:26:27,760 Speaker 1: the collection of the Uruguay National Museum of Visual Arts 416 00:26:27,760 --> 00:26:30,800 Speaker 1: and it remains on display in the garden there. And 417 00:26:30,880 --> 00:26:34,159 Speaker 1: some of these symbols are somewhat mystical in nature, and 418 00:26:34,200 --> 00:26:36,679 Speaker 1: that ties to a person who seems to pop up 419 00:26:36,720 --> 00:26:39,720 Speaker 1: on the show, even in places we do not expect, 420 00:26:40,080 --> 00:26:45,200 Speaker 1: and that is Madame Blovotsky. I just feel like she's everywhere. 421 00:26:46,359 --> 00:26:50,159 Speaker 1: Taurus Garcia had joined the Theosophy Society in the early 422 00:26:50,240 --> 00:26:53,600 Speaker 1: nineteen thirties, and he was drawn to its mystic visuals 423 00:26:53,880 --> 00:26:57,120 Speaker 1: and the idea of a universal brotherhood that the ideology 424 00:26:57,160 --> 00:27:00,479 Speaker 1: of Theosafy preached, and that falls very very much in 425 00:27:00,520 --> 00:27:03,080 Speaker 1: line with his efforts to unify the art world in 426 00:27:03,160 --> 00:27:05,960 Speaker 1: various ways, so it's not entirely surprising that he would 427 00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:10,040 Speaker 1: align with it. Taurus Garcia even gave a lecture at 428 00:27:10,040 --> 00:27:14,840 Speaker 1: the Theosophy Society discussing geometry and proportion, but that is 429 00:27:15,040 --> 00:27:18,040 Speaker 1: but one of roughly six hundred lectures that he gave 430 00:27:18,160 --> 00:27:20,480 Speaker 1: after moving back to Uruguay, so it's unclear if he 431 00:27:20,600 --> 00:27:23,399 Speaker 1: was super active in the organization or it was just 432 00:27:23,440 --> 00:27:26,720 Speaker 1: one of the many influences that he incorporated into his work. 433 00:27:27,800 --> 00:27:31,040 Speaker 1: In nineteen forty three, he opened a workshop called Taye 434 00:27:31,160 --> 00:27:35,720 Speaker 1: Torres Garcia, which focused on teaching constructivism in its curriculum. 435 00:27:36,400 --> 00:27:39,840 Speaker 1: Shortly after founding this group, he published a book titled 436 00:27:39,920 --> 00:27:43,240 Speaker 1: The Universe of Thesmo Constructivo, which included a lot of 437 00:27:43,320 --> 00:27:46,000 Speaker 1: his lectures and was intended to show the way art 438 00:27:46,160 --> 00:27:49,880 Speaker 1: and culture could be united. The book also featured more 439 00:27:49,880 --> 00:27:53,600 Speaker 1: than two hundred and fifty drawings by the author. Also 440 00:27:53,640 --> 00:27:56,560 Speaker 1: in nineteen forty three, he created one of his most 441 00:27:56,560 --> 00:28:00,720 Speaker 1: famous works. That's an ink sketch titled America in Ertida, 442 00:28:01,119 --> 00:28:04,280 Speaker 1: and it is, as that title hints, a crude map 443 00:28:04,320 --> 00:28:09,119 Speaker 1: of South America rendered upside down. A large s sits 444 00:28:09,160 --> 00:28:11,520 Speaker 1: at the top of the piece, replacing the idea of 445 00:28:11,640 --> 00:28:15,399 Speaker 1: north as the most important direction. And this too falls 446 00:28:15,480 --> 00:28:18,160 Speaker 1: very much in line with his School of the South ideology, 447 00:28:18,280 --> 00:28:20,720 Speaker 1: of which he wrote quote I have called this the 448 00:28:20,760 --> 00:28:24,280 Speaker 1: school of the South, because in reality our north is 449 00:28:24,400 --> 00:28:27,439 Speaker 1: the south. There must not be north for us except 450 00:28:27,440 --> 00:28:31,040 Speaker 1: in opposition to our south. Therefore we now turn the 451 00:28:31,040 --> 00:28:34,000 Speaker 1: map upside down, and then we have a true idea 452 00:28:34,080 --> 00:28:36,720 Speaker 1: of our position, and not, as the rest of the 453 00:28:36,720 --> 00:28:40,840 Speaker 1: world wishes, the point of America from now on forever 454 00:28:41,360 --> 00:28:46,400 Speaker 1: insistently points to the south, our north. In nineteen forty eight, 455 00:28:46,440 --> 00:28:49,720 Speaker 1: Torres Garcia had a new home built at fifty six 456 00:28:49,880 --> 00:28:54,320 Speaker 1: twelve Carmuru Street in Montevideo. He and the family moved 457 00:28:54,360 --> 00:28:57,320 Speaker 1: into the home in nineteen forty nine, but Joaquin did 458 00:28:57,400 --> 00:29:00,240 Speaker 1: not get to enjoy it for long. He died on 459 00:29:00,280 --> 00:29:04,440 Speaker 1: August eighth of nineteen forty nine. After his death, his 460 00:29:04,600 --> 00:29:08,160 Speaker 1: workshop school continued for more than a decade, run by 461 00:29:08,160 --> 00:29:12,640 Speaker 1: his students and supporters, and magazines continued to be published 462 00:29:12,680 --> 00:29:15,920 Speaker 1: by the organization, and it was incredibly influential in the 463 00:29:15,920 --> 00:29:19,040 Speaker 1: world of Latin American modern art before it shuddered in 464 00:29:19,080 --> 00:29:23,080 Speaker 1: the nineteen sixties. In a tragic turn of events, many 465 00:29:23,120 --> 00:29:26,720 Speaker 1: of Torres Garcia's works were destroyed in a fire. In 466 00:29:26,840 --> 00:29:32,160 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy eight. A comprehensive retrospective exhibit had been mounted 467 00:29:32,240 --> 00:29:35,600 Speaker 1: at the Rio de Janeiro Museum of Modern Art, and 468 00:29:35,640 --> 00:29:39,800 Speaker 1: the museum lost ninety percent of its total collection in 469 00:29:39,840 --> 00:29:42,840 Speaker 1: the blaze. In addition to the work of Torres Garcia, 470 00:29:42,960 --> 00:29:46,760 Speaker 1: there are pieces by Paul Clay, Rene Magrite, Juan Miro, 471 00:29:47,120 --> 00:29:52,320 Speaker 1: Max Ernst, and Salvador Dali were also lost. Joaquin Torres 472 00:29:52,320 --> 00:29:56,080 Speaker 1: Garcia can be difficult to succinctly summarize because he had 473 00:29:56,160 --> 00:29:59,760 Speaker 1: so many ideas that had at their center this sort 474 00:29:59,760 --> 00:30:03,000 Speaker 1: of push and pull of old and new concepts that 475 00:30:03,200 --> 00:30:05,880 Speaker 1: might seem at odds, but which he sought to unify. 476 00:30:06,720 --> 00:30:10,400 Speaker 1: And I found the best articulation of this quality in 477 00:30:10,400 --> 00:30:14,240 Speaker 1: my research in the writing of Alvaro Medina, who wrote 478 00:30:14,320 --> 00:30:18,320 Speaker 1: about him for Art Nexus, writing quote, Joaquin Torris Garcia 479 00:30:18,400 --> 00:30:21,040 Speaker 1: is a paradox. He is one of the Latin American 480 00:30:21,080 --> 00:30:24,040 Speaker 1: painters who spent the most time in Europe and the 481 00:30:24,080 --> 00:30:28,440 Speaker 1: only one who seriously proposed to forget about Europe. But 482 00:30:28,520 --> 00:30:31,560 Speaker 1: he was never a partisan of nationalist art and never 483 00:30:31,680 --> 00:30:35,440 Speaker 1: practiced such art. Unlike the Mexican muralists, who in a 484 00:30:35,560 --> 00:30:39,560 Speaker 1: sense were his contemporaries, the Uruguayan painter was the champion 485 00:30:39,680 --> 00:30:45,000 Speaker 1: of universalism and relentlessly criticized nativism. He criticized it and 486 00:30:45,040 --> 00:30:47,960 Speaker 1: at the same time theorized and practiced in his own 487 00:30:48,040 --> 00:30:51,640 Speaker 1: manner and imposed among his disciples in his own studio 488 00:30:52,160 --> 00:30:58,440 Speaker 1: and art based on the geometric principles of architecture, sculpture, painting, ceramics, goldwork, 489 00:30:58,520 --> 00:31:04,200 Speaker 1: and the textiles of the Aboriginal peoples of America. That 490 00:31:04,320 --> 00:31:11,760 Speaker 1: is Joaquin Torres Garcia, who I wish, oh how I 491 00:31:11,840 --> 00:31:14,960 Speaker 1: wish we had more of his work that we could 492 00:31:15,000 --> 00:31:18,840 Speaker 1: still look at. But because that fire happened before a 493 00:31:18,880 --> 00:31:22,840 Speaker 1: lot of things were captured digitally. Some things we only 494 00:31:22,880 --> 00:31:25,400 Speaker 1: have descriptions of, and we will not see them if 495 00:31:25,400 --> 00:31:28,120 Speaker 1: we didn't live at a time when they were visible, 496 00:31:28,880 --> 00:31:33,000 Speaker 1: which is a pity. I have more orange Tabby email. Okay, 497 00:31:36,240 --> 00:31:38,640 Speaker 1: this is from our listener, Rosemary, and it's titled my 498 00:31:38,800 --> 00:31:42,600 Speaker 1: Stoic Orange Tabby. Rosemary writes Hi, Ally and Tracy. I 499 00:31:42,640 --> 00:31:44,640 Speaker 1: love the podcast and have been listening to it for 500 00:31:44,680 --> 00:31:47,680 Speaker 1: many years. History was always one of my favorite subjects 501 00:31:47,720 --> 00:31:51,040 Speaker 1: in school, so I'm happy to be continuously expanding my knowledge. 502 00:31:51,440 --> 00:31:54,040 Speaker 1: The podcast has even taught me things about my hometown 503 00:31:54,080 --> 00:31:57,000 Speaker 1: of Los Angeles that I never knew about. In one 504 00:31:57,000 --> 00:31:59,080 Speaker 1: of your episodes, I heard the call to find an 505 00:31:59,160 --> 00:32:03,000 Speaker 1: intelligent or tabby. Well, I present to you Rusty, my 506 00:32:03,120 --> 00:32:07,240 Speaker 1: female orange Tuxi. She was my first cat. We adopted 507 00:32:07,240 --> 00:32:09,960 Speaker 1: her when she was six from a nearby shelter. It 508 00:32:10,000 --> 00:32:12,120 Speaker 1: took her three years to trust us, but after that 509 00:32:12,240 --> 00:32:15,120 Speaker 1: she was the sweetest girl. She knew when to cuddle 510 00:32:15,160 --> 00:32:17,560 Speaker 1: if we were sick. She was always very calm, and 511 00:32:17,600 --> 00:32:20,320 Speaker 1: she would say bless you if you sneeze. She had 512 00:32:20,320 --> 00:32:23,240 Speaker 1: her silly moments, but I think most cats do. She 513 00:32:23,360 --> 00:32:25,160 Speaker 1: lived to the age of twenty one and I still 514 00:32:25,200 --> 00:32:27,720 Speaker 1: miss her every day. Thank you for all the knowledge. Okay, 515 00:32:27,800 --> 00:32:30,160 Speaker 1: Russy is so cute. I am loving all of the 516 00:32:30,240 --> 00:32:33,120 Speaker 1: smart Orange Cat email, by the way, keep it coming. 517 00:32:33,320 --> 00:32:36,200 Speaker 1: It delights me. As I've said, I'm kind of in 518 00:32:36,280 --> 00:32:39,520 Speaker 1: an orange Cat's on my wish list for the future face, 519 00:32:39,640 --> 00:32:42,520 Speaker 1: so I don't care if I get a dignomor a 520 00:32:42,560 --> 00:32:46,160 Speaker 1: smart one though, I just want kitties. She's so cute, though, 521 00:32:46,200 --> 00:32:50,880 Speaker 1: and she has those big what's called the classic tabby swirls, 522 00:32:50,920 --> 00:32:54,880 Speaker 1: you know how the striping, like the multiple stripes is 523 00:32:54,920 --> 00:32:57,560 Speaker 1: called like a modern tabby, and the big swirly swirlies 524 00:32:57,560 --> 00:32:59,760 Speaker 1: that almost looked like targets is actually what's called the 525 00:32:59,760 --> 00:33:02,920 Speaker 1: class tabby. And she is very cute, and I'm so 526 00:33:03,000 --> 00:33:05,800 Speaker 1: glad that she gave you so many years of delight 527 00:33:05,880 --> 00:33:09,040 Speaker 1: and love and comfort and bless you. If you would 528 00:33:09,040 --> 00:33:12,080 Speaker 1: like to share your cats with us, or anything else 529 00:33:12,080 --> 00:33:14,320 Speaker 1: that's on your mind, you can do so at History 530 00:33:14,400 --> 00:33:17,840 Speaker 1: podcast at iHeartRadio dot com. You can also subscribe to 531 00:33:17,840 --> 00:33:20,320 Speaker 1: the show on the iHeartRadio app or anywhere you listen 532 00:33:20,360 --> 00:33:28,240 Speaker 1: to your favorite shows. Stuff you Missed in History Class 533 00:33:28,280 --> 00:33:32,320 Speaker 1: is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, 534 00:33:32,480 --> 00:33:36,040 Speaker 1: visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen 535 00:33:36,120 --> 00:33:37,080 Speaker 1: to your favorite shows,