RIHA Journal 0135 | 15 July 2016 Barradas' Vibrationism and its Catalan Context1 M. Lluïsa Faxedas Brujats Universitat de Girona Abstract Rafael Barradas' i!rationis" is often re#o$nised% to$et&er 'it& (lanis" and Ultrais"% as one of t&e )rst avant*$arde "ove"ents to e"er$e in +,ain- However% little attention &as !een ,aid to its intelle#tual roots and its .atalan and /uro,ean #ontext- 1&is ,a,er will exa"ine t&e !irt& of i!rationis" as t&e Uru$uayan ,ainter's res,onse to &is #onta#t !ot& 'it& t&e /uro,ean avant*$arde% in ,arti#ular 2uturis" and +i"ultaneis"% and es,e#ially 'it& t&e .atalan #ontext in '&i#& it a,,eared- 1&e !rief story of t&e "ove"ent s&o's us &o' so"e of t&e "ore #onsistent answers to t&e ,i#torial issues raised !y t&e /uro,ean avant*$arde of t&e 1910s were to !e found in w&at has traditionally been understood as its peri,&ery- Contents Introdu#tion Barradas and Vi!rationis" 1orres*Gar#4a, a Vi!rationist painter5 Barradas and La$ar 1&e intelle#tual and artisti# context7 Junoy, Sol8 de So9o, Salvat*(a,asseit and Mir; (ossi!le in<uen#e on ot&er artists .on#lusions Introdu#tion =1> i!rationis" o##u,ies a ,arti#ular ,la#e in t&e &istory of t&e "any avant*$arde artisti# "ove"ents- It was t&e )rst *is" #reated !y t&e Uru$uayan ,ainter Rafael Barradas (1890-1929) '&o% as it turned out% was its only ,ra#titioner (alt&ou$& JoaBu4n 1orres*Gar#4a did feel very #lose to it for a '&ileA% and it e0erted a $reat in<uen#e on ot&er +,anis& artists- 2ro" t&e very !e$innin$% "ost art #riti#s a$reed t&at i!rationis" was t&e result of Barradas' own ,ersonal understandin$ of 2uturis"% +i"ultaneis" and% to a lesser extent% .u!is"-2 Havin$ ado,ted a si"ilar vie'% "ost art &istorians &ave also seen &is i!rationist worC as &avin$ !een in<uen#ed !y t&e 1 1&is article is a revised and e0tended version of t&e ,a,er DEoucentis"e and t&e Avant*Garde7 1&e .ase of Barradas, i!rationis" and 1orres*Gar#4aD ,resented at t&e international conference +out&ern :odernisms: .ritical +tances 1&rou$& Re$ional A,,ro,riations% /+A(% F,orto% 13-21 2e!ruary 2015- RIHA Journal 0135 | 15 July 2016 /uro,ean avant*$arde-3 However% t&e "ove"ent ori$inated and develo,ed in Bar#elona% in a very s,e#i)# &istori#al and #ultural #ontext% and t&is arti#le% !y revie'in$ t&e relations&i, !etween Barradas and t&e .atalonia of 1917*1918, ai"s to s&o' &o' t&e !irt& of i!rationis" was very #losely #onne#ted to its Catalan context- Barradas and ibrationis" =2> Barradas #a"e to /uro,e in He#e"!er 1913 and% until :ay 1914, &e travelled to (aris% +witJerland and :ilan '&ere &e dis#overed t&e worCs and texts of t&e Euro,ean avant*$arde, es,e#ially in relation to Futuris"% Cu!is" and +i"ultaneis"K and &is dis#overies were i""ediately re<e#ted in &is ,aintin$- At t&e end of :ay or t&e !e$innin$ of June 1914 &e undertooC &is )rst visit to Bar#elona% stayin$ till t&e end of t&at year '&en &e "oved to Lara$oJa- In t&is )rst .atalan ,eriod &e ,u!lis&ed so"e drawin$s in t&e ,eriodi#al 6'/sBuella de la 1orrat0a%I !ut t&ere is no ot&er eviden#e of any furt&er #onta#t wit& t&e .atalan artisti# s#ene- It was not until &is se#ond stay in Bar#elona% '&i#& ran fro" t&e end of 2e!ruary or t&e !e$innin$ of :ar#& 1916 to Au$ust 1918, t&at t&e i",li#ations of '&at &e &ad seen and learnt durin$ his Euro,ean journey would fnd full e0,ression in his worC- =3> At so"e ,oint !etween t&e end of 1917 and t&e !e$innin$ of 1918 Barradas !e$an to use t&e #on#e,t of i!rationis" to refer to &is ne' artisti# ,ro,osalK it lasted until 1920. /ven t&ou$& t&e #onne#tion to t&e afore"entioned /uro,ean avant*$arde "ove"ents is #lear% t&e fa#t t&at 2 1&ere are so"e e0a",les of conte",orary criticism of Barradas' 'orC7 "He is al"ost co",letely at one 'it& Italian futurism7 t&e ,ortrait of t&e ,ainter J- 1orres- Gar#4a &as, a!ove all% a $racile intent-D 2- -% D6es e0,osicions,D in7 6a Revista% 1 A,ril 131@% 11IK DMe "ust looC% t&en% to t&e e,i$ones of .u!ism and t&e 2ren#& si"ultaneists for evocative referen#es in order to #&aracterise a ne' artist su#& as Barradas.D Guiller"o de 1orre% D/l vi!racionismo de Barradas,D in7 (erseo 1 ?1313A% 216-221% &ere 221K D(er&a,s it 'ould suit Barradas to !e la!elled a si"ultaneistK !ut 'e do not kno' if% in eNect% &e 'ould not assi$n any ot&er la!el to &i"self-D Juan de la /ncina% DEotas sueltas. /0,osici;n Barradas,D in7 /spaOa 255 ?1320A% 12-13% &ere 12- – Unless ot&er'ise stated% all translations are "ine- 3 1&ree e0a",les: RaBuel (ereda% Barradas% :ontevideo 13@3K Jai"e Bri&ue$a% D+aturn al sif;- Barradas i l'avant$uarda espanyola%D in7 Barradas. /0,osici; antolQ$ica% 1@30-1323% eds. Jai"e Bri&ue$a and .on#&a 6o"!a% 6'Hospitalet del 6lo!re$at 1333% 13*I5K and% in t&e sa"e volu"e% /u$enio .ar"ona% "Rafael Barrades i l' 'art nou' a /spanya% 131G-1325%D 10G-133- 1&e "ost si$nifcant e0#e,tion to t&is $eneral vie' is t&at of David Jared :orse% Rafael Barradas and i!racionis"o7 +cience and +,irituality in +,anis& Avant*Garde Art% :-A- t&esis, University of 1e0as, 2001- 1&e connections &e dra's !et'een Barradas and t&e ,&iloso,&ical and scienti)# trends of t&e ti"e in +,ain% ,arti#ularly re$ardin$ Ber$sonism% do not contradict% !ut rat&er su,,le"ent t&e ar$u"ents in t&is article- I Rafael +antos 1orroella% "Autoretrat de Barradas. /ls di!ui0os de Barradas a l'/squella de la 1orrat0a%D in7 Barradas. /0,osici; antolQ$ica% 1@30-1323% eds. J- Bri&ue$a and .- 6o"!a% 6'Hos,italet del 6lo!re$at 1333% 55-63- RIHA Journal 0135 | 15 July 2016 t&ree years &ad ,assed !et'een &is arrival in /uro,e and t&e ,resentation of &is )rst i!rationist worCs "aCes its see"in$ly sudden a,,earan#e so"e'&at diR#ult to e0,lain. Vi!rationis" did not a,,ear fro" a void, and it #an only !e understood !y taCin$ its t&eoreti#al and aest&eti# #ontext into #onsideration- =I] It s&ould be noted at t&is point t&at t&e con#e,t of "vi!rationD was widely re#o$nised and &ad attained "u#& i",ortan#e in t&e avant*$arde artisti# s#ene% "ainly in 2uturist artisti# t&eory, !ut also in t&e worC of artists su#& as Helaunay, Su,Ca or SandinsCy-5 It &as !een widely re,orted !y diNerent aut&ors t&at at t&e end of t&e 19t& and t&e !e$innin$ of t&e 20t& #entury, t&e #on#e,t of vi!ration was understood as an intan$i!le and invisi!le ,&eno"enon t&at fa#ilitated t&e #onne#tion !etween ele"ents t&at were diNerent in nature-6 (arti#ularly, t&e essential vi!ratory unity !et'een sound and #olour t&at so"e s#ientists &ad Ddis#overedD would see" to &ave su,,orted t&e idea t&at t&ere e0isted a universal &ar"ony of an essentially vi!ratory nature- 1&is ,owerful idea #ontri!uted to t&e !road use of t&e #on#e,t of vi!ration in t&e artisti# t&eory of t&e ti"e% ,arti#ularly in t&e +ym!olist "ilieu% and also later in t&e avant*$arde $rou,s% '&o ada"antly ar$ued t&at t&e issue of relations&i,s !etween t&e diNerent arts was of "a9or i",ortan#e- In#reasin$ly, t&e #on#e,t of vi!ration extended its "eanin$ until it #a"e to e0,ress a true D"onis" of sensationsD%G t&at is to say, a unity not 9ust !etween '&at t&e diNerent ,&ysi#al senses ,er#eive% !ut also !etween t&e ,er#eiver and '&at is ,er#eivedK it is in t&is sense es,e#ially t&at t&e #on#e,t of vi!ration !e#a"e a Cey as,e#t in 2uturist literature- In s&ort% t&e #on#e,t of vi!ration was used !y t&e /uro,ean avant*$arde "ove"ents 'it& diNerent "eanin$s% all of '&i#& were "utually related7 )rst of all% to refer to t&e ,&ysi#al ,&eno"enolo$y of li$&t and to t&e assu"ed vi!ration of #oloursK se#ond% to esta!lis& a )eld of #o",arison !etween li$&t and sound '&i#& would !e#o"e t&e startin$ ,oint for all Cinds 5 :aria 6luTsa 2a0edas Bru9ats, D/l vi!racionis"o de Rafael Barradas: $enealo$4a de un conce,to%D in7 Ar#&ivo /s,aOol de Arte @@% n- 350 ?2015A% 2@1-23@- +ee also :orse% Rafael Barradas and i!racionismo% and David Jared :orse% "Art*/voluci; and i!racionis"o7 1orres-Gar#4a% Barradas, and an Art of Hi$&er .onsciousness,D in7 Barcelona and :odernity7 (icasso% Gaud4% :ir;% Dal4% eds.