“CL” (probably Clotilde Luisi) discusses Teseo, los problemas del arte, the new book by the critic Eduardo Dieste. In the 1920s Dieste did an outstanding job of introducing modernist art criticism and acting as a unifying cultural agent, founding La Bisagra (his tertulia or discussion group), and publishing Teseo. CL believes that the critic’s work provides a particularly useful analysis that is unusual in Uruguay for its pedagogical and profound theoretical nature, replete with comparative references between the art produced in Europe and in Uruguay.   

Teseo, los problemas del arte, the new book by the critic and writer Eduardo Dieste (1882–1954), is discussed in the bibliographic reviews section of the magazine published by the AIAPE (Agrupación de Intelectuales, Artistas, Periodistas y Escritores). The article is signed with the initials “CL,” which probably refers to the essayist Clotilde Luisi (1882–1969), a contributor to the magazine.

Eduardo Dieste, who founded the Teseo group in 1923, played a key role in the promotion of new local art in the 1920s. The features that CL refers to in his new book are basically the same as those he explored in 1925 in Teseo. Discusión, estética y ejemplos: clasicismo, impresionismo, cubismo, futurismo, arte nacional, which was also serialized in the Boletines de Teseo. Dieste’s universalist cultural views, originally derived from European sources, are on display once again in this book. CL appreciates the book’s theoretical approach and lists of schools and artists, rating Dieste’s work as an essential tool for teachers working with local students. CL also highlights the frequent references to local artists that give the book a “Uruguayan flavor,” providing a unifying thread that links European and Uruguayan debates and formal resolutions.