Women artists and avant-garde: the formation of the new Spanish art through fragments of modernity (1906-1936)

Abstract

Throughout History, European cultural history was written from an eminently androcentric perspective that did not recognise all women’s contributions in society, denying their personal and professional development. Still, the participation of certain women in the progress of history was decisive in different periods. Specifically, was during the twentieth cen­tury when their contributions had a true significance. This fact was possible due to the series of unprecedented advances that took place in Western society that brought the first-wave femi­nism. Women began to have presence in different spheres of society in its eagerness of progress as key pieces of the new cultural landscape. In this way, the European avant-garde incorporated to an outstanding number of women artists into the project of artistic revitalization.

In Spain, important women artists contributed to the generation of the new avant-garde art between 1906 and 1936.

Currently, this part of history omitted by the official discourse is being recovered, finally taking in count the work done by these women artists who brought with their contributions in order to claim their presence in society. This paper presents a new discourse as a part of this recovery effort.

Its innovative point of view lies in the analysis proposes the study of the creative proces­ses of these authors of the Spanish avant-garde, supporting the hypothesis that these creators used a common creation methodology based on a fragmentary nature.

Due to their personality, women artists created an original style by interpreting some aspects coming from Europe and translated them to their Spanish culture. This was in the line of the modernity context and different from the male artists community. Their artworks are result of this fragmentary conception, which is presented as resembling mosaics whose tiles should be analysed in order to understand their references.