In 1933 in Buenos Aires, Federico Garcia Lorca gave a now famous lecture entitled “La juego y teoria del duende” (“The Play and Theory of the Duende”), in which he sought to identify the source of artistic inspiration. Variously defined as ghost, goblin, demon, or charm, duende–strongly identified in Spain with the dark passion of flamenco–for Garcia Lorca was “that indefinable force which animates different creators and infuses their deepest efforts.” More than mere muse, duende rises from the depths of the earth or descends from the heavens, and is as much about darkness and death as light and life. “There is no map nor exercise that leads to duende,” Garcia Lorca wrote. “We know only that it sets blood afire.” No wonder he was a fan of bullfighting.
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Hirsch, a professor at the University of Houston, appends a 13-page list of suggested reading (and listening) to the text of The Demon and the Angel. His talk at the Art Institute of Chicago on Thursday, May 23, should be somewhat less daunting. Part of the museum’s “Night Vision” series, it starts at 6 PM at the Art Institute, Michigan and Adams. Tickets are $11, $7 for students. Call 312-443-3680 or 312-575-8000.
