Federico García Lorca's 'Jeu et théorie du duende' Explored in Artpress Essay

An essay in Artpress examines the untranslatable Spanish concept of 'duende' through Federico García Lorca's 1933-1934 lecture 'Jeu et théorie du duende', delivered in Buenos Aires and Montevideo. The text argues that duende, a mysterious force in flamenco and bullfighting, transcends its Andalusian origins to become a universal aesthetic phenomenon. Lorca's lecture posits that all arts are susceptible to duende, citing Nietzsche, Paganini, Bach, Picasso, Rimbaud, and Lautréamont. Unlike the muse or angel, which come from outside, duende must be awakened 'in the last dwellings of the blood,' uniting body and spirit against Cartesian dualism. The essay contrasts duende with contemporary body cults and participatory aesthetics, noting that duende creates a paradoxical community where popular and enlightened audiences share a sublime emotion. It references bullfighters José Tomás, Rafael de Paula, and Morante de la Puebla, as well as Simon Casas's book on José Tomás, to illustrate duende's ephemeral yet eternal nature. The essay concludes that duende remains profoundly contemporary because it is deeply anachronistic.