Modernism in Brazil

of Brazilian modernism: Anita Malfatti, Mário de Andrade, Menotti del Picchia, Oswald de Andrade and Tarsila do Amaral. The first phase of Modernism was characterized by an attempt to define positions, manifestos and fast-circulating magazines. It was the most radical period of the movement due to the necessity of breaking with all the structures of the past. Its anarchic character and strong sense of annihilation was called the "spirit of destruction" by Mário de Andrade. There was a search for the modern and original. The return to the origins, through the valorization of the indigenous people and the language spoken by the people, were also addressed. However, nationalism was used in two different ways: critical, aligned with the political left by denouncing reality, and ufanistic, exaggerated and extreme right-wing. Due to the need for definitions and a break with all the structures of the past, this was the most radical phase. A month after the Modern Art Week, Brazil was experiencing two moments of great political importance: the presidential elections and the founding congress of the Communist Party in Niterói. In 1926, the Democratic Party emerged, with Mário de Andrade as one of its founders, and in 1932, the Brazilian Integralist Action, a radical nationalist movement founded by Plínio Salgado was created. Manifestos and magazines Klaxon magazine (1922–1923) It was published in São Paulo from May 15, 1922, to January 1923. It was the first Brazilian modernist publication after the Modern Art Week and its main purpose was to publicize the movement; Manifesto Pau-Brasil (1924–1925) It was written by Oswald de Andrade, first published in Correio da Manhã and reprinted in 1924 as the opening of the poetry book Pau-Brasil. He presented a proposal for literature linked to Brazilian reality, based on a rediscovery of the country, and stated that Brazilian art should be an "export", just like Brazilwood; Movimento Verde-Amarelo (1926–1929) A group formed by Plínio Salgado, Menotti del Picchia, Guilherme de Almeida and Cassiano Ricardo in response to the Manifesto Pau-Brasil to criticize Oswald's "French nationalism". His proposal was a primitivist nationalism, ufanistic and identified with European nationalist regimes, which evolved into Integralism. In May 1929, the Verde-Amarelo group published the Manifesto Nhengaçu Verde-Amarelo, also called the Manifesto of Verde-Amarelismo or Manifesto of the Escola da Anta. Manifesto Regionalista of 1926 The period from 1925 to 1930 was characterized by the dissemination of Modernism throughout the Brazilian states. In this context, the Regionalist Center of the Northeast, located in Recife and chaired by Gilberto Freyre, sought to develop a sense of unity in the region according to the new modernist molds, promoting conferences, art exhibitions and congresses. The document's content emphasizes the importance of restoring both national and, above all, regional and northeastern culture, highlighting its strong aspects. This appreciation of regional culture led to the emergence of new artists from the 1930s onwards, such as Graciliano Ramos, José Lins do Rego, José Américo de Almeida, Rachel de Queiroz, Jorge Amado, Érico Veríssimo and Marques Rebelo. Revista de Antropofagia The Anthropophagic Movement was characterized by critical assimilation ("swallowing") of European avant-gardes and cultures, with the purpose of recreating them to rediscover Brazil in its primitive authenticity. It had two phases: the first with ten issues (1928–1929), directed by Antônio Alcântara Machado and managed by Raul Bopp; and the second, published weekly in 25 issues in the newspaper Diário do Rio de Janeiro in 1929, with Geraldo Ferraz as secretary. Initiated by Oswald's Manifesto Antropofágico, it included Antônio de Alcântara Machado, Mário de Andrade, Carlos Drummond de Andrade, as well as drawings by Tarsila do Amaral, articles in favor of the Tupi language by Plínio Salgado and poetry by Guilherme de Almeida. Its name comes from Tarsila do Amaral's painting Abaporu (meaning " the one that eats"). == Second generation (1930–1945) – the 1930s Generation ==

Extending from 1930 to 1945, the second phase of Modernism, as well as being rich in poetic work, stood out more in the production of prose, characterized by regionalism focused especially on the northeast region. The thematic universe expanded with the artists' concern for the destiny of man and his position in the world. Unlike the previous generation, it was constructive. Both the poetry of the '22 and '30 generations were contemporary, since most of the '30 poets absorbed the '22 experiences, such as thematic freedom, a taste for updated or inventive expression, free verse and anti-academicism. In this phase, the modernist poetic language, already structured, was improved and the theme of philosophical and religious restlessness was expanded by Vinícius de Moraes, Jorge de Lima, Augusto Frederico Schmidt, Murilo Mendes, Carlos Drummond de Andrade. Prose expanded its area of focus to include new political, social, economic, human and spiritual concerns. The joke was replaced by gravity of spirit, seriousness of soul, purpose and means. The 1930s Generation adopted a serious attitude towards the world, for whose pains they considered themselves responsible. Also characteristic of the novel of this period was the author's contact with his people and the search for the Brazilian man in different regions, which made regionalism important. A Bagaceira, by José Américo de Almeida, was the landmark of the so-called regionalist novel. Authors such as Rachel de Queiroz, Jorge Amado, José Lins do Rego, Graciliano Ramos and José Américo de Almeida presented the problems of the Northeast and the northeastern people in their works and made the region a major symbol of the regionalist genre. Together with Érico Verissimo, Orígenes Lessa and other writers, they created a new style, completely modern and totally freed from traditional language, in which they incorporated real regional speech. Drummond's almost joking humor was influenced by Mário and Oswald de Andrade. Cecília Meireles, Jorge de Lima and Murilo Mendes introduced a sort of spiritualism that came from Mário's book Há uma Gota de Sangue em Cada Poema (1917). The writers of the second generation also incorporated serious social issues into their works: social inequality, the cruel life of the migrants, the remnants of slavery and the coronelism based on land ownership == Third generation (1945–1960) - the Post-Modernist (or 1945 Generation) ==

The transformation of Brazil's socio-political scenario also changed literature; the end of the Vargas era, the rise and fall of populism, the military dictatorship and the Cold War were all major influences on the third generation. In prose, both in novels and short stories, there was a search for intimate, psychologically and introspective literature. At the same time, regionalism acquired a new dimension with Guimarães Rosa's recreation of the customs and speech of the backlands, reaching deep into the psychology of the jagunço of Northeastern Brazil. Research into language was a characteristic feature of the authors, who were called instrumentalists. The third generation emerged with poets opposed to the modernist innovations of 1922, which led many scholars (such as Alceu Amoroso Lima and Ivan Junqueira) to describe this group as Post-Modernist. The new proposal, initially defended by the Orpheu magazine in 1947, denied formal freedom, irony, satire and other modernist characteristics; the poets sought a more "balanced and serious" poetry. At the beginning of the 1940s, two unique poets emerged, not aesthetically affiliated to any trend: João Cabral de Melo Neto and Lêdo Ivo. They are considered by many to be the most important representatives of the 1945 Generation. == See also ==