“SEMPRE, PIO LECTOR, SERÀS UN ASE” O VICENT GARCIA EN LA CONFLUÈNCIA DE LA LITERATURA I L’ART BARROCS

Abstract

Published in 1703, the editio princeps of the complete works of the Catalan baroque poet Francesc Vicent Garcia begins with a prologue in sonnet form chosen by the publishers to introduce the contents of the first part of the volume, which is burlesque in tone. We provide an in-depth analysis of the text of this sonnet — which begins “Now lower your gaze toward the filthy cavity of the universe”. It is a sonnet that surprises with its rich imagery, compositional complexity and structural movement based on antitheses. Two of its most important features — the bithematic nature of the poem and the final exhortation to the reader — are compared with European Mannerist and Baroque pictorial realizations. On the one hand, the compositional structure of the two themes of the sonnet is related to that of certain works by Tintoretto, El Greco and Velázquez. On the other hand, Garcia’s exhortation to the reader of his sonnet is compared to the exhortation strategies that were used in the art of the period, such as when Velázquez or Guercino involve the viewer in the canvas.