Magic realism
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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| '''Magic realism''' (or '''magical realism''') is an artistic [[genre]] in which [[magical]] elements appear in an otherwise, [[mundane]], [[realistic]] setting. | '''Magic realism''' (or '''magical realism''') is an artistic [[genre]] in which [[magical]] elements appear in an otherwise, [[mundane]], [[realistic]] setting. | ||
| - | As used today the term is broadly descriptive rather than critically rigorous. The term was initially used by [[Germany|German]] art critic [[Franz Roh]] in his 1925 book ''[[Nach Expressionismus: Magischer Realismus: Probleme der neusten europäischen Malerei]]'' ("After [[expressionism]]: Magical Realism: Problems of the newest European painting") to describe painting which demonstrated an altered reality, but was later used by [[Venezuelan]] [[Arturo Uslar-Pietri]] to describe the work of certain [[Latin American writer]]s. | + | As used today the term is broadly descriptive rather than critically rigorous. The term was initially used by [[Germany|German]] art critic [[Franz Roh]] in his 1925 book ''[[Nach Expressionismus: Magischer Realismus: Probleme der neusten europäischen Malerei]]'' ("After [[expressionism]]: Magical Realism: Problems of the newest European painting") to describe painting which demonstrated an altered reality, but was later used by Venezuelan [[Arturo Uslar-Pietri]] to describe the work of certain [[Latin American writer]]s. |
| The Cuban writer [[Alejo Carpentier]] used the term "lo real maravilloso" (roughly "marvelous reality") in the prologue to his novel ''[[The Kingdom of this World]]'' (1949). Carpentier's conception was of a kind of heightened reality in which elements of the miraculous could appear while seeming natural and unforced. Carpentier's work was a key influence on the writers of the [[Latin American Boom|Latin American "boom"]] that emerged in the 1960s. | The Cuban writer [[Alejo Carpentier]] used the term "lo real maravilloso" (roughly "marvelous reality") in the prologue to his novel ''[[The Kingdom of this World]]'' (1949). Carpentier's conception was of a kind of heightened reality in which elements of the miraculous could appear while seeming natural and unforced. Carpentier's work was a key influence on the writers of the [[Latin American Boom|Latin American "boom"]] that emerged in the 1960s. | ||
Revision as of 19:49, 6 September 2023
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"Angel Flores, the first to use the term "Magic realism", set the beginning of the movement with the book A Universal History of Infamy (1935) by Jorge Luis Borges."--Sholem Stein |
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Magic realism (or magical realism) is an artistic genre in which magical elements appear in an otherwise, mundane, realistic setting.
As used today the term is broadly descriptive rather than critically rigorous. The term was initially used by German art critic Franz Roh in his 1925 book Nach Expressionismus: Magischer Realismus: Probleme der neusten europäischen Malerei ("After expressionism: Magical Realism: Problems of the newest European painting") to describe painting which demonstrated an altered reality, but was later used by Venezuelan Arturo Uslar-Pietri to describe the work of certain Latin American writers.
The Cuban writer Alejo Carpentier used the term "lo real maravilloso" (roughly "marvelous reality") in the prologue to his novel The Kingdom of this World (1949). Carpentier's conception was of a kind of heightened reality in which elements of the miraculous could appear while seeming natural and unforced. Carpentier's work was a key influence on the writers of the Latin American "boom" that emerged in the 1960s.
An example of magic realism can be seen in Julio Cortázar's "La noche boca arriba," in which an individual experiences two realistic situations simultaneously in the same place but during two different time periods, centuries apart.
Etymology
While the term magical realism in its modern sense first appeared in 1955, the German art critic Franz Roh first used the phrase in 1925, to refer to a painterly style also known as Neue Sachlichkeit (the New Objectivity), an alternative championed by fellow German museum director Gustav Hartlaub. Roh believed magic realism is related to, but distinctive from, surrealism, due to magic realism's focus on the material object and the actual existence of things in the world, as opposed to the more cerebral, psychological and subconscious reality that the surrealists explored. Magic realism was later used to describe the uncanny realism by American painters such as Ivan Albright, Paul Cadmus, George Tooker and other artists during the 1940s and 1950s. However, in contrast with its use in literature, magical realist art does not often include overtly fantastic or magical content, but rather looks at the mundane through a hyper-realistic and often mysterious lens. The extent to which magical elements enter in visual art depends on the subcategory, discussed in detail below.
Determining who coined the term magical realism (as opposed to magic realism) is controversial among literary critics. Maggie Ann Bowers argues that it first emerged in the 1955 essay "Magical Realism in Spanish American Fiction" by critic Angel Flores. She notes that while Flores names Jorge Luis Borges as the first magical realist (some critics consider him a predecessor, not actually a magical realist), he fails to acknowledge either Alejo Carpentier or Arturo Uslar-Pietri for bringing Roh's magic realism to Latin America.
See also
