Modernismo in the Philippines

The photo of Spanish poet Salvador Rueda at a banquet in Bacolod captures an important cultural moment during his visit to the Philippines. Rueda, a key figure of Modernismo, toured Manila and the Visayas (in 1910), observing the flourishing Spanish language at a time when Spanish literature in the Philippines was at its peak in the early 20th century.

Modernismo, a literary movement that began in Latin America, was led by Nicaraguan poet Rubén Darío. Another important figure, Cuban poet José Martí, is considered a precursor to the movement. Modernismo poets often created vivid, exotic imagery with themes of nature, elegance, and royalty. These images were not mere escapes from reality but intentional challenges to the materialism and vulgarity of daily life.

In the Philippines, many poets who wrote in Spanish were aligned with Modernismo, including Manuel Bernabe, Jesús Balmori, and Cecilio Apostol. Balmori, in particular, is also associated with a related movement, French Parnassianism, which influenced Modernismo.

Parnassianism, a French literary movement from the 19th century, had a strong impact on Modernismo. The Parnassian principle of l’art pour l’art (art for art's sake) became central to Modernismo. Both movements valued creating beautiful, self-contained art, focusing on form and perfection rather than moral or didactic content. The Parnassians often drew inspiration from Greek mythology, Roman history, and distant lands, an influence that Modernistas incorporated into their work with lush, dreamlike imagery. They also emphasized the technical mastery and precision of language, which Modernismo sought to refine, adding emotional depth to poetry.

Reflecting on the works of José Rizal, one can see early signs of the themes later developed in Modernismo. His poem Himno al Talisay and his frequent references to Greek and Roman culture in his writing show an early affinity for classical themes that would be central to Modernismo.

Rizal’s focus on beauty, intellectual depth, and elegance likely influenced Filipino Modernistas like Balmori, Apostol, and Bernabe. These poets, writing during the height of Spanish literature in the Philippines, blended the aesthetic values of Modernismo with Rizal’s intellectual legacy.

Given Rizal’s impact on later Filipino poets, it’s worth rethinking the history of Spanish literature in the Philippines. Rizal’s contributions, often overlooked in discussions of Modernismo, should be more clearly recognized as laying the groundwork for the movement. His work, filled with elegance, classical references, and intellectual rigor, bridged 19th-century Romanticism and the aesthetic ideals of early 20th-century Modernismo, shaping not just nationalist thought but also the artistic and intellectual development of Filipino poets.

                                    Salvador Rueda with Filipino-Spanish poet Manuel Bernabe