Federico García Lorca

Federico García Lorca

The graphic works by the great Spanish poet and dramatist Federico García Lorca expands upon the fantastical imaginary world of this artist in a wonderful way. World-famous as an important author of the early 20th century, the influence of surrealism in his work also found particular expression in his sketches. García Lorca maintained a close friendship with Salvador Dalí. The connection of traditional symbols – influences from his native Andalusia – and surrealistic ones not only characterized Garcia Lorca’s poetic and dramatic work, but also his artistic work, which was exhibited early on and is presented in six drawings contained in the compendium at hand.

Colorfully Surrealistic Spontaneity

An orange giant amidst a mountainous landscape. The figure of the huge man is covered with countless dots in an almost pointillist style. A light-blue horse with a bridle accompanied by small creatures of fantasy. This is only an example of the unbelievable imagination of Federico García Lorca, which finds expression in his graphic works. The terrific drawings have an almost naïve appearance and are reminiscent of children’s drawings in their spontaneity. They probably originated in a completely intuitive manner. Lorca himself said of his drawings that he felt like a child while he was holding the pen in his hand.

Men, Women, Fantasies

Six colorful drawings of that type are assembled in the compendium at hand of the author’s graphic works. They show fantastic figures, which appear as though in a fairytale and are realistic nonetheless. Alongside this depiction, one finds a sheet with an intimate scene of two people – two men? – who are standing so close together almost as though they were a single body. This depiction enchants with its lightness and spontaneity, but also because of its skillfully drawn lines and insightfully chosen colors. Two additional sheets each show the depiction of a man, one in a blue costume reminiscent of a harlequin, the other with a wide-brimmed hat on his head that is reminiscent of a Spanish torero. Additionally, two sheets each with a female figure have been chosen, one in a splendidly sweeping ball gown, the other sitting on a chair in the midst of a cityscape.

A Significant Literary and Illustrator

The drawings show surrealistic symbols in the middle of an environment that repeatedly incorporates traditional elements. Thus they stand in direct relation to the literary works of García Lorca, which similarly combined traditional forms with new, surrealistically influenced content. Federico García Lorca (1898–1936) is considered to be one of the greatest poets and dramatists of the 20th century, and as a reviver of Spanish theater. Born in 1898, the same year as Ernest Hemingway and Bertolt Brecht, he was a member of the famous Generacion del 27, a group of Spanish poets at the beginning of the 20th century. García Lorca used the traditions of his Andalusian home for inspiration. In his time as a student in Madrid, he additionally developed a close friendship with Salvador Dalí, one of the most important surrealists. This relationship had a marked influence on his graphic works as well. As a result, there have been exhibitions of the graphic works of Federico García Lorca since 1925. The six sheets chosen are enough to convince one of the variety and quality of these drawings!