The Literary and Artistic Avant‑Gardes in Revolutionary Mexico (1915‑1929)

Abstract

This essay analyzes five different moments and scenarios that define the early artistic and literary avant-gardes of Mexico between 1915 and 1924. The initial moments all involve Mexican artists and writers who are based abroad. Born simultaneously in New York and Paris, then reborn in Caracas and Barcelona, the Mexican avant-garde finally sets down its roots in the native land in 1921. The fifth moment receives greater attention as it deals with the Estridentismo movement, launched at the end of 1921 in Mexico City. A detailed reading is offered of the collaboration between the writer Manuel Maples Arce and the painter Jean Charlot, especially in the illustrated edition of the former’s long poem Urbe: super-poema bolchevique en 5 cantos (1924). In each of the moments mentioned the protagonists distinguish themselves as independent rebels within the radical movements of rebellion that constitute the aesthetic revolution we now refer to as the historical avant‑gardes.