The essay by Vicente Basso Maglio was intended for the catalogue for the exhibition Rafael Barradas, organized by the Comisión Nacional del Centenario in Montevideo in 1930, a year after the death of the Uruguayan artist. [The artist was seen as] a human being who stood out for his humility, purity, and depth that would link his artistic skills and his mystical art to those so-called primitive artists of great wisdom. In a way, this text represents the vision of Barradas as a primarily bohemian artist, a humble human being, punished for living in the spotlight through his art, however, leaving his work to be appreciated in the background of his fame, [a view] that had been widespread among Uruguayan intellectuals in the twenties.

This essay by the poet and art critic Vicente Basso Maglio (1899−1961) was the introduction of the catalogue for the exhibition Rafael Barradas (1890−1929) that had been organized by the Comisión Nacional del Centenario at the Athenaeum Hall in Montevideo on October 4 to 20, 1930. The exhibition was seen and construed by the art critic as Uruguay’s belated recognition of what it considered to be one of their most innovative and in-depth artistic creators. Similar to other art critics of his generation who were significantly productive in the country between the twenties and the forties, such as the case of Eduardo Dieste (1881−1954), Cipriano S. Vitureira (1907−1977), and Julio J. Casal (1889−1954) among others. Basso Maglio’s work was based on strong literary roots that were constantly in search of the personality and the work of Barradas for an extended and prolific period during his fourteen years in Spain (1914−28). The catalogue consists of three essays of which only this essay had been written by a Uruguayan, the remaining having been authored by two Spanish intellectuals. [Please refer to the ICAA digital archive and the following texts: “Barradas,” by Manuel Abril (doc. no. 1243461) and “Barradas pintor de eternidad,” by Artur Perucho (doc. no. 1243392)]. Basso Maglio summarized his annotations and those of other critics on what characterized and outlined the artistic attitude of Barradas as a “process of total involvement” coupled with a particular sensitivity to the social empathy of his motives and timeless in character. [Please refer to the ICAA digital archive for the following texts on the subject: “Consideraciones sobre la expresión heroic,” by Juvenal Ortiz Saralegui (doc. no. 1225615), “De la Tragedia de la Imagen [Barradas],”by Vicente Basso Maglio (doc. no. 1225969), and “Emoción ante Barradas,” by Cirpriano Santiago Vitureira (doc. no. 1218884)] The critic utilized his customary resources of oppositional parallelisms, such as artists who tend to forget easily, those who falsely suffer, with contrasting examples such as Barradas, who opted for oblivion with difficulty, who were heroic, and experienced true suffering. In this way, the artist is defined as primitive, for his freedom, rhythm, and the musical links of his picturesque poetics, especially in his mystical artistic work.