La Movida Madrileña (music)
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''La Movida Madrileña'' (, ''The Madrilenian Scene''), also known as ''La Movida'', was a countercultural movement that took place mainly in Madrid during the
Spanish transition to democracy Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
after the death of dictator
Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War ...
in 1975. The movement coincided with economic growth in Spain and a widespread desire for the development of a post-Francoist identity. The ''Concierto homenaje a Canito'' (Canito Memorial Concert), which took place on February 9, 1980, is traditionally considered the beginning of ''La Movida Madrileña''. ''La Movida Madrileña'' featured a rise in punk rock and
synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...
music, an openness regarding sexual expression and drug usage, and the emergence of new dialects such as cheli. This hedonistic cultural wave started in Madrid before appearing in other Spanish cities such as Barcelona, Bilbao and Vigo.


Origins

In the years following the death of
Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War ...
, a growing underground punk rock music scene began to form in Madrid. Inspired by the growth of punk rock in the United Kingdom, a number of punk and
synthpop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s a ...
bands, such as Tos and
Aviador Dro Aviador Dro, short for El Aviador Dro y sus Obreros Especializados (Aviator Dro and His Specialized Workers), is a synthpop and electronic music band from Spain, formed in Madrid in 1979. History The group was founded by schoolmates Arturo Lan ...
, formed in the late 1970s. However, this new counterculture clashed heavily with the Spanish national government, during a time when evening curfew for women, criminalisation of homosexuality, and arrests of people with unorthodox appearances for violating a law regarding "dangerousness and social rehabilitation" were frequent. ''La Movida Madrileña'' gained notoriety following a large concert at the Higher Technical School of Civil Engineers (ETSICCP) at the Technical University of Madrid on February 9, 1980. Although Francoist elements continued to oppose the increasing liberalization of the city, the government under socialist mayor
Enrique Tierno Galván Enrique Tierno Galván (Madrid, 8 February 1918 – Madrid, 19 January 1986) was a Spanish politician, sociologist, lawyer and essayist, best known for being the Mayor of Madrid from 1979 to 1986, at the beginning of the new period of Spanish de ...
had a more open approach regarding the movement, and subsidized various artistic endeavours. A number of influential foreign artists, such as The Ramones and Andy Warhol, visited Madrid during this time.


Characteristics

''La Movida Madrileña's'' central component was an
aesthetic Aesthetics, or esthetics, is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty and taste, as well as the philosophy of art (its own area of philosophy that comes out of aesthetics). It examines aesthetic values, often expressed th ...
influenced by punk rock and
synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...
music, as well as visual schools such as dada and
futurism Futurism ( it, Futurismo, link=no) was an artistic and social movement that originated in Italy, and to a lesser extent in other countries, in the early 20th century. It emphasized dynamism, speed, technology, youth, violence, and objects such ...
. The aesthetic permeated into the city's street fashion, photography,
cartoon A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently animated, in an unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved over time, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or series of images ...
s, and murals, manifesting itself in bright colours, voluminous hair, unconventional and revealing clothing, and heavy makeup use among both genders. In addition to these artistic representations, ''La Movida Madrileña'' also effected an emergent
LGBTQ+ community The LGBT community (also known as the LGBTQ+ community, GLBT community, gay community, or queer community) is a loosely defined grouping of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and other queer individuals united by a common culture and social ...
, illicit drug use, and the use of the cheli dialect. Although some people involved with the movement testified to a lack of a unified political ideology, many elements of the movement were antifascist and had
anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not neces ...
leanings.


Representatives

The ''Movida'' comprised many art movements; Pedro Almodóvar became a well-known example internationally after his success as a film director.


Music

In moods, looks and attitude, the sound resembled the British punk and new wave scenes and the Neue Deutsche Welle, sometimes (in the case of
Mecano Mecano was a Spanish pop band formed in 1981 and active until 1992. Mecano became one of the most successful Spanish pop bands of all time. The band is still the best-selling Spanish band, with over 25 million records worldwide. They were consid ...
) mimicking styles such as
New Romantic The New Romantic movement was an underground subculture movement that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The movement emerged from the nightclub scene in London and Birmingham at venues such as Billy's and The Blitz. The New ...
. Music was a contributing factor in the Movida because it was a way to express oneself. People were allowed to listen to different types of music and two popular genres at that time were rock n' roll and synth pop. Music bands like
Mecano Mecano was a Spanish pop band formed in 1981 and active until 1992. Mecano became one of the most successful Spanish pop bands of all time. The band is still the best-selling Spanish band, with over 25 million records worldwide. They were consid ...
and were two popular bands during that time. Songs like " ¿A quien le importa?" (What's it to you) and (Not you, not anyone) made people confident and gave them the ability to express themselves.


Film and television

Almodóvar comically reflected the messiness of the freedom of those years, particularly in his films ''
Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del montón ''Pepi, Luci, Bom'' ( es, Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del montón, link=no; also known as ''Pepi, Luci, Bom and Other Girls Like Mom'' and ''Pepi, Luci, Bom and Other Girls on the Heap'') is a 1980 Spanish black comedy film written and directe ...
'';  ''
Laberinto de pasiones ''Labyrinth of Passion'' ( es, link=no, Laberinto de pasiones) is a 1982 Spanish screwball comedy film written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar, starring Cecilia Roth and Imanol Arias. Antonio Banderas has a small role, marking his film debut. ...
''; and '' What Have I Done to Deserve this?'' (1984). TV programs like ''
La Bola de Cristal ''La Bola de Cristal'' ( en, The Crystal Ball) was a Spanish television show that was broadcast on La Primera Cadena of Televisión Española from 1984 to 1988. The show was the brainchild of Spanish writer Dolores Rico Oliver (better known for ...
'' and contributed to spread the aesthetics of the movement to a wider audience. Pedro Almodóvar had a significant influence on the Movida with his films. He was a director who made films exploring homosexuality and criticised the church beliefs and Franqismo. He created his characters with complexity, challenging the traditional values of family, gender roles, and respect. Almodóvar's goal was to make people question the environment they were living in. He wanted people to question the norms during this time and fight against continued normalization. He does this through techniques like comparing and contrasting traditional models versus the franquistas, and to continue questioning the idea that a certain sex are bound to act a certain way to be considered normal. A variety of films were created to represent the LGBTQ+ community; Almodóvar wanted to bring awareness to their situation and used the Movida as a way to explore different approaches from the conventional lifestyles of the time.


Photography and painting

During these years, young photographers like
Alberto García-Alix Alberto García-Alix (born 1957) is a Spanish photographer from León, Spain. He won the National Photography Award in 1999. His work has reached different countries and has been praised by publications such as Vogue, British Journal of Photog ...
and
Ouka Leele Bárbara Allende Gil de Biedma (29 June 1957 – 24 May 2022), also known as Ouka Leele, was a Spanish photographer. Life and career Bárbara Allende Gil de Biedma was born in Madrid on 29 June 1957 to a well-off family belonging to the Bil ...
focused their art on the bands, concerts, and music scene, while other creators, like Miguel Trillo, were more interested in the urban tribes around the new movement. Illustrator
Ceesepe Carlos Sánchez Pérez (31 May 1958 – 7 September 2018), known professionally as Ceesepe, () was a Spanish painter, comics artist and illustrator. He was especially prolific in drawings and collages, with his style is often classified as pop a ...
is considered a major figure in the movement. After Ouka Leele overcame her health problems, at the age of 22 she had a turning point in her career called movida madrileña and was elected as a faithful representative of what was called "posmodernidad". Her work fit perfectly with the eclectic spirit of the that artistic movement. Ouka Leele's work evolves and surprises many. The strong garnish colors of her first works began to soften; interior settings stopped being a constant in her work and she shifted her focus outdoors with her particular manner of portraying forests and plants. Her works are located halfway between painting and photography; they are abstract paintings where composition becomes as important as color. Color, being an integral element of her work, serves to enhance the representation of her art.


Graffiti

Juan Carlos Argüello was the artist behind his trademark signature Muelle. Argüello created a unique form of street art, later described as “''graffiti autóctono madrileño''” and it was a reference and inspiration for many creators after him. Argüello was born in 1965, and was a pioneer in the street art movement in Madrid. He started out in the 1980s during the Movida Madrileña. Muelle began his career by creating his graffiti in the Campamento neighborhood of Madrid. One of his famous marks was his signature, which also had an arrow at the bottom. He claimed that his signature was protected by copyright. At first, the police thought that these signatures that were showing up all around the city was a code used by the drug traffickers or gang members, but in reality it was just enthusiastic Madrid youth creating copies of the signature. Eventually, Muelle started adding designs to make it more complex with colors, borders, and shadows. Many people started following Muelle's work and made copies of it around the city of Madrid. No one else's signature had ever become so famous or impactful as Muelle's. He also started a punk rock band, ''Salida de Emergencia'' (“Emergency Exit”), in which he played the drums. In 1993, Argüello stopped appearing publicly in Madrid. In 1995 he died from cancer, but his influence continued to have an impact in Madrid. In 2004 he was honored with a ceremony and is still remembered fondly in Madrid. A book was published about him called ''Yo conocí a Muelle'' (I knew Muelle) by Jorge Gómez Soto. In 2012, one of his few signatures left was made into a special cultural interest spot known as ''Bien de Interés Cultura'', where this graffiti cannot be removed. On October 19, 2016, Madrid dedicated a special garden to him in the neighborhood where he once lived.


Literature

Writers
Gregorio Morales Gregorio Morales (7 July 1952 – 22 June 2015), was a Spanish novelist. Gregorio Morales represents a movement named quantum aesthetics that aims to look at human difficulties of all ages from a new perspective that solely derives from modern ...
,
Vicente Molina Foix Vicente Molina Foix (born 18 October 1946) is a Spanish writer and film director. Biography Born in Elche in 1946, he studied at the Complutense University in Madrid and at the University of London. He taught Spanish literature at the Univer ...
, , Javier Barquín, ,
Luis Mateo Díez Luis Mateo Díez Rodríguez (born 21 September 1942) is a Spanish writer. He has written widely in a variety of genres, and has published over 50 books till date. He is best known for his works that focus on the fictional Kingdom of Celama (e.g. ...
, , and were prominent in the , which were a cycle of meetings, lectures, debates and
happenings A happening is a performance, event, or situation art, usually as performance art. The term was first used by Allan Kaprow during the 1950s to describe a range of art-related events. History Origins Allan Kaprow first coined the term "happen ...
that took place in the
Círculo de Bellas Artes The Círculo de Bellas Artes is a private, non-profit, cultural organization that was founded in 1880. Its building, located in Madrid, Spain, was declared ''Bien de Interés Cultural'' in 1981. The CBA is a major multidisciplinary centre with one ...
in Madrid between 1983 and 1984. Many of them, as Gregorio Morales, José Tono Martínez or Ramón Mayrata, were regular collaborators of the art magazine . Other publications, such as
Oscar Mariné Oscar Mariné Brandi (born 1951 in Madrid, Spain) is a designer, illustrator, expert typographer and professional artist; Oscar Mariné is one of the major communicators in post-Franco Spain. His internationally renowned work includes iconic design ...
's magazine (''Madrid Kills Me'') contributed to the creation of a common identity. Another important figure outside the artistic world of the ''Movida'' was journalist Francisco Umbral, a writer for the newspaper ''
El País ''El País'' (; ) is a Spanish-language daily newspaper in Spain. ''El País'' is based in the capital city of Madrid and it is owned by the Spanish media conglomerate PRISA. It is the second most circulated daily newspaper in Spain . ''El Pa ...
'', who wrote about and documented the movement.


LGBTQ+

People focused on gender-based and heteronormative blindness, neglecting the significance of gender, sexuality, or acknowledging them. Those who participated in La Movida all believed that one of their top priorities in undertaking La Movida was advocating for queer people. Cultural productions with queer undertones have been placed elsewhere and have a majority of heteronormative narratives in La Movida. Voices were offered through musical production to represent gender and sexuality associated with the queer community, and others that weren't were overlooked during La Movida. The movement was a time of enlightenment, where members of the LGBTQ+ community could be seen as normal human beings. It was a period where there was change in perspectives and the LGBTQ+ community could be freely open without any repression from the government or limitations from the church. La Movida emphasized liberty and the chance to open new opportunities for the gay community towards having equal rights. A neighborhood in Madrid named
Chueca Chueca is an area of central Madrid, named after its main square, Plaza de Chueca. It is known as Madrid's gay neighborhood. Plaza de Chueca was named after Spanish composer and author Federico Chueca. It is located in the administrative ward ...
symbolizes the modernity, freedom, and openness beginning in this period. It is the home of the LGBTQ community and is a popular area of Madrid. They have a variety of events like alternative fashion centres and a host of opportunities for entertainment, in an anything-goes atmosphere. It also holds the gay pride festival between June and July. ''Crossing through Chueca'' is a book written about La Movida Madrileña, about the lesbian community and navigating their sexual, racial, gender, and class identities. Chueca is known for its queer-safe spaces and how they combat against discrimination, which played a big role during the La Movida Madrileña. Post-La Movida Madrilena Thirty years later, the Movida continues to exert influence on the people of Spain. This movement has been and continues to be embraced by institutions, showcasing a new and improved vision for both the city and the country as a whole. In 2007 there was an article from ''El País'' that acknowledges the return of La Movida, but it was known as La Removida. The term la Removida represented La Movida reappearing, and in its previous state. The reappearance was so significant that there were newspapers written about it. La Removida is a way to preserve memories, allowing societies to undergo a continuous process of construction and reconstruction. This can be observed in cases like the events in Madrid: "La Sombra de un Sueño" seeks to reinforce the memory of La Movida and immortalize many of those who died during this period. The use of footage from La Movida serves as a way to showcase the rebirth of the movement. In order to preserve the legacy of La Movida, society needs a constant reminder because its memory fades over time, despite attempts to uphold its legacy. The stories surrounding La Movida and La Removida underscore the ongoing quest for identity and significance through memory, providing evidence for the assertion that postmodern identity is inherently ambiguous. Therefore, the films unveil the idea that memory is zestful, undergoing constant transformation — a process that is likely to persist in the future for both La Movida and La Removida.


See also

*
Movida viguesa The Movida viguesa (or Movida gallega) was an important youth cultural movement that took place in Vigo, Spain during the 1980s, coinciding with the Movida Madrileña (the "Golden Age for Spanish Pop"). By the late seventies, the industrial port ...


References


Sources

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External links


Photogallery of the photograph Gorka De Duo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Movida Madrileña, La Culture in Madrid History of Madrid Counterculture of the 1980s