An Old Art for a New Culture: The Popular and the Avant-Garde in Josep Renau's Nueva Cultura

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Date

2012

Authors

Koehler, June

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Publisher

University of Oregon

Abstract

The Spanish artist Josep Renau (1907-1982) published the propaganda periodical Nueva cultura from 1935 to 1937. Although richly illustrated with cuttingedge graphic design and photomontage, it made use of popular culture with more frequency than might be expected in a left-wing, vanguard publication. This is seen most notably in the March 1937 special edition, published to coincide with a local, popular festival. In the special edition, Renau primarily utilized popular forms of illustration in the layout. Further, by publishing it in the regional language rather than Castilian Spanish, he attested to the importance of addressing people in their own language, both linguistically and formally. This thesis examines the periodical in relation to philosopher Mikhail Bakhtin’s writings on folk culture and James V. Wertsch’s research on collective remembering.

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Keywords

Collective memory, Folk culture, Josep Renau, Popular culture, Propaganda, Spanish Civil War

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