Noucentisme was a Catalan cultural and political movement that flourished in the early 20th century, roughly from 1906 to 1923. Coined and promoted by the writer and philosopher Eugeni d'Ors, it emerged as a deliberate reaction against the perceived decadence and individualism of Modernisme (Catalonia's unique variation of Art Nouveau ).

Noucentisme promoted a return to the classical ideals of order, reason, harmony, and clarity, seeking inspiration in the art of ancient Greece and Rome and the Italian Renaissance . The movement's aesthetic, often described as "Mediterraneanism," is characterized by idealized and serene depictions of the Catalan landscape, balanced compositions, and figures that evoke a timeless, classical quality, as seen in the paintings of Joaquim Sunyer. In both art and literature, Noucentisme was closely tied to a political project of building a modern, cultured, and orderly Catalan civil society, promoting values of civility and collective progress over the bohemian spirit of the previous generation.

Noucentisme was the prevailing cultural movement in Catalonia from 1906 to 1923. The year 1906 is significant as it marks the formation of Solidaritat Catalana , while 1923 marks the beginning of Miguel Primo de Rivera's dictatorship. This period saw the breakdown of political, cultural, and economic stability.

Noucentisme is often associated with the support given by artists and intellectuals to the Lliga Regionalista de Catalunya . This reformist party, led by Enric Prat de la Riba (1870–1917), established the Mancomunitat, an early form of autonomous government. Prat used the limited powers and resources of this institution to develop infrastructure aimed at modernizing Catalonia, including the strengthening of its industrial economy.

It is important to note that the Lliga Regionalista de Catalunya cannot be simply equated with the interests of the Catalan bourgeoisie. The bourgeoisie that supported the regionalism of Cambó (1876–1947) and Prat differed from the bourgeoisie that aligned with Alfonso Sala following Primo de Rivera’s coup in September 1923. Prat focused on creating governmental structures in a society that lacked political power. Due to the absence of a strong legal basis and the means for actual governance, he established the groundwork for a modern civic society by intervening in the areas of education, technical expertise, and culture. Noucentistes saw themselves as providing the necessary idealism for an ambitious project led by politicians and supported by the country’s economic leaders.

Noucentisme emerged with the goal of moving beyond the Catalan art scene that had been dominant until that time. Based on the principles defined by Eugeni d’Ors, the movement aimed to revive elements of the classical world and develop a new artistic language and set of images. The essay and poetry were key literary forms within Catalan Noucentisme, with figures such as Josep Carner, Enric Prat de la Riba, and Pompeu Fabra playing important roles in the movement's inception.

While Noucentisme represented a departure from Modernisme , the Avant-garde broke with Noucentisme, which arose in Europe between the First and Second World Wars as a reaction against the power and aesthetic preferences of the bourgeoisie. This included artistic movements such as Cubism , which reinterpreted space using geometric forms; Futurism , which challenged traditional notions of beauty; Dadaism, characterized by negation and disorder; and Surrealism , which emphasized the role of the irrational in creation. In Catalonia, prominent figures in the avant-garde literary movement included poets such as Joan Salvat-Papasseit, Carles Sindreu, Joan Josep M. Junoy, and J.V. Foix.

Noucentisme's core beliefs emphasized rationality, precision, calmness, structure, balance, and clarity, alongside a sense of intellectual superiority. This movement rejected earlier cultural trends like modernisme and romanticism , which it saw as promoting excessive emotion, rule-breaking, and a fascination with the medieval era. Noucentistes valued moderation as a sign of refined culture and looked to classical antiquity as a model. They also opposed secularism and positivism, which they perceived as threats to the Christian values they linked to Catalan identity. Viewing art as a process of artifice and transformation, they distanced themselves from naturalism and realist movements that aimed to merely replicate reality.

Key principles of Noucentisme, as articulated by d'Ors, included a form of nationalism aimed at cultural and economic leadership within Spain, not separation. Art, understood as formal beauty, was seen as a refinement of reality, where any subject could be elevated through artistic form. The movement advocated a return to classical Greco-Roman models, a focus on the Mediterranean as a cultural birthplace, and the city as a symbol of reason and progress, contrasting with the natural world favored by earlier movements. Noucentistes sought to revive ideals of civility and harmony, and emphasized the pursuit of perfection in artistic craft, aiming to create idealized models of cultural achievement.

Noucentisme has manifestations in sculpture, painting, architecture, decorative arts, and music.

Noucentista painting often featured idealized depictions of the female nude. Joaquim Sunyer and Josep de Togores are notable painters known for their Noucentista works.

Sculptors such as Arístides Maillol (who, despite being from Northern Catalonia and having stronger ties to Paris than Barcelona, aligned with the aesthetics of the Noucentistes of Southern Catalonia), Josep Clarà, Enric Casanovas, and Esteve Monegal represent the sculptural aspects of the movement. They produced classical and naturalistic sculptures. Monumental statuary also saw a revival. Pere Jou was a sculptor known for his work on the Maricel complex in Sitges.

Architects such as Josep Goday i Casals and Rafael Masó i Valentí were key figures in Noucentista architecture. Noucentista architecture emphasized order, harmony, and tradition, drawing inspiration from Greek columns, Roman walls, and other classical elements. Early architectural works blended Modernista and Noucentista elements, while later examples leaned towards Mediterranean and Neoclassical forms. Urban design and functional elements were also important. The Maricel complex in Sitges, featuring the Museu de Maricel and the Palau de Maricel, showcases Noucentista architectural and artistic elements, including sculptures by Pere Jou.

Noucentista decorative arts display a transition from handcrafted aesthetics to an embrace of industrial and technical production, with formal purity and minimal ornamentation becoming defining features. Noucentisme saw a shift from handcrafted forms to a greater acceptance of industrial and mass-produced objects. Formal purity and a lack of ornamentation became guiding principles. The shift represents an idealized classicism coexisting with industrial and technical elements.

Musical composition within Noucentisme saw prominence among female composers. Ònia Farga, Blanca Selva, Maria Infiesta, Margalida Orfila, Montserrat Campmany, and Paquita Madriguera are notable figures within this musical context.

During the Noucentisme period, the novel held a minor position within literary production. Short stories and tales were favored prose forms, used to convey ideas succinctly. Theatre production was limited, with Carles Soldevila and Millàs-Raurell being the primary playwrights.

Glosses and journalistic articles served as platforms for expressing theoretical concepts, as the movement did not produce notable manifestos. Josep Carner and Eugeni d'Ors were key literary figures of this era. Poetry was the dominant genre, characterized by a preference for sonnets, classical themes, and often, the poet's moral stance.

Carner's " Els fruits saborosos ," published in 1906, is recognized as the inaugural Noucentista poetry collection. The linguistic standard, emphasizing normativity and correctness, aligned with the guidelines established at the First International Congress of the Catalan Language. The Institute for Catalan Studies codified a standardized Catalan, drawing on the Barcelona dialect and incorporating learned vocabulary, modernizing the language while maintaining its Greek and Latin roots.

This deliberate linguistic shift aimed to distinguish Catalan from Castilian. The influence of the Mallorcan School and symbolism is evident, alongside a rejection of realism . Poetic compositions frequently revisited Renaissance themes and styles. Noucentisme inherited the Renaixença 's ambition to elevate Catalan literature to European cultural standards. Instead of focusing on the medieval past, Noucentisme emphasized the revival of classical Greco-Latin values, with a strong focus on formal writing, the pursuit of beauty and harmony, and the use of learned language and metaphors.

Theatre production during this era was limited, yet it included several Noucentista dramatists. While the 1890s looked to Ibsen and Maeterlinck, the 1920s drew inspiration from German and American expressionism , Pirandello, Lenormand, Bernard, Shaw, Cocteau, and Yeats. Commercial theatre remained unaffected. Modernista authors like Josep Pous i Pagès and Joan Puig i Ferreter adapted to Noucentista trends. Josep Carner, influenced by Ibsen and Maeterlinck, premiered " El giravolt de maig " in 1928 under Noucentista influence. Josep Canals, at the Teatre Romea, promoted bourgeois comedy, a genre Carles Soldevila cultivated, with works like " Civilitzats, tanmateix " (1921) and " Bola de neu " (1927) reflecting didactic aims and promoting the Noucentista cultural model.

Josep Maria de Sagarra, starting in 1918, created poetic plays like " Rondalla d'esparvers " and " Dijous sant ," distinct from Noucentista currents. His popular success influenced others to deviate from prevailing norms. Sagarra achieved commercial success in the 1920s and 1930s with plays such as " Cançó de taverna " (1922), " L'Hostal de la Glòria " (1931), and " El Cafè de la Marina " (1933). His works resonated with both the bourgeoisie and larger social strata due to their popular appeal and interclass characters.

Authors such as Ambrosi Carrion, a Maragall disciple, resisted Noucentista hegemony. Carrion sought to construct an intellectual theatre rooted in classicism , with plays like " El fill de Crist " (1912) and " Clitemnestra " (1916). Ramon Vinyes i Cluet, from a modernista background, returned to Barcelona in the 1920s to become a major Catalan theatre critic and theorist, advocating for non-bourgeois theatre. Many theaters opened throughout Catalonia from the start of the century to the Spanish Civil War.

Noucentisme in philosophy involved the creation of a framework for civic reflection, despite the movement's eventual unrealized aspirations. Its primary contribution lies in its commitment to culture, urban development, and modernity, establishing foundations for a concept of citizenship that continues to hold relevance.

Philosophy during this period was the least innovative component of the cultural project. This philosophical thought centered on the Catalan language, as established by Pompeu Fabra, and on national history, as developed by figures from Rovira i Virgili to Soldevila. Several factors explain this, notably the lack of a robust university tradition, despite the presence of isolated significant professors such as Serra i Húnter, Xirau, and later, Mirabent, and the pressure from a reactionary Thomism that opposed the emergence of secular thought.

Although a philosophy section was established at the University of Barcelona in 1912, led by Serra i Húnter and Tomàs Carreras i Artau, it faced severe resource limitations. The secular nature of Noucentista thought led to strained relations between Catholic thinkers and the church, stemming from opposition to Barcelona's 1906 cultural budgets and reactions to the Tragic Week. While figures like Torras i Bages attempted to modernize the Catalan church, and Franciscans launched the philosophical journal Criterion, Noucentista priorities placed figures like Vives and Llull above Thomas Aquinas. The institutional church's treatment of the democratic Christian thinker Josep Maria Capdevila illustrates this tension.

Catalan was not an academic language at the university, hindering professors' ability to produce scholarly work in it. Doctoral theses and university positions were administered in Madrid, where Catalanism was a barrier to advancement, exemplified by Eugeni d'Ors's inability to pursue an academic career in 1914. French university philosophy held limited significance, especially compared to developments in Vienna and Cambridge. While Bergson influenced D'Ors, only Eduard Nicol fully incorporated his ideas. American pragmatism, though influential in Catalan pedagogy, was considered too radical.

Despite Russell's influence on Crexells, empiricist epistemology and language critique remained distant from the prevailing intellectual climate. Joaquim Xirau favored a phenomenology based on Scheler. Xirau's students formed the Barcelona School, maintaining intellectual continuity through the post-war period. Noucentista philosophy represented a style of thought more than a formal movement. It leaned towards idealism and spiritualism, emphasized form, pedagogy, the role of emotions, and psychological aesthetics, and was clearly republican. Noucentistas prioritized philosophical craft over originality, focusing on the relationship between truth and reality.

Intellectuals like Serra i Húnter and Nicol addressed the "disintegration of spiritual culture" following World War I, advocating for culturalism. Noucentisme emerged from a collaboration between Catalan public authorities and intellectuals seeking to develop a coherent cultural policy. This alliance, unprecedented at the time, involved a degree of political influence and benefited from Barcelona's status as a modern capital and interclass consensus. Jaume Serra i Húnter's principles of hygiene and culture guided the movement. Noucentisme aimed to create culture for all, culminating in the integration of Catalan intellectuals into Esquerra Republicana . Noucentista figures prioritized service over personal ambition.