ABSTRACT

Almost every reference to expressionism in Spanish art at the beginning of the twentieth century is closely followed by the admonishment that expressionism as an art form did not resonate with Spanish artists and was largely irrelevant to Spanish art production. 1 Surrendering to such a judgment, however, would speak to a very narrow perspective on art-historical research, one that limits the importance of one artistic style by comparing it to others prevalent in the early twentieth century. In such a comparison, expressionism in Spain would surely fall short. But what can be gained from discrediting the importance and even denying its existence in the Spanish context? In its effort to contribute to a compendium that focuses on the periphery of expressionist art production, this essay does not attribute to the peripheral existence of an art style any lesser importance or relevance; nor does it condone the unreflected transfer of terms such as “expressionist” or “expressionism” from one linguistic context into another.