Xul Solar and Jorge Luis Borges: The Art of Friendship
Dialogues and collaborations between two highly meaningful figures from universal culture are explored in the exhibition entitled Xul Solar and Jorge Luis Borges: The Art of Friendship shown at the Americas Society in New York City until July 20. The exhibition will also be presented at the Phoenix Art Museum during the months of September and December of 2013. Both Solar (1887-1963) and Borges (1899-1985) were born in Argentina. Solar, a painter and creator in several fields, and Borges, a writer, developed an intellectual friendship for more than four decades that established the basis for the cultural stature in the most European country of the American continent.
Like in the rest of the continent, during the 1920s Argentina saw a rise in political and social confrontations. In Buenos Aires, the level of cultural development was exemplified by two opposing groups—Boedo and Frida—that leaned towards social and intellectual causes. From that moment on, we begin to observe the cosmopolitan or "fluid Argentinean nationalism," mostly by the porteños—the name given to the people from the capital.
The exhibition addresses the convergence of established values and the search of local ones. Although the theme requires thorough analysis, it is important to remember that there are no pre-Columbian cultures to speak of in Argentina and that the immigrants who arrive in the country to secure economic stability introduce European cultural legacies.
Xul Solar—whose name was Alejandro XulSolari—was committed to establishing ways of communication that would go beyond language. With such purpose in mind, he invented the Panlingua and the Neocriollo, a system to learn piano in just a few lessons. Likewise, through his paintings and drawings Solar built bridges of universal communication. This artist, who was a poet as well, also created small size works in watercolor, gouache and pencil on paper. Music, poetry, theology, art nouveau and mysticism shaped the conversations between Solar and Borges, as they took long walks through the city, shared a meal or met at gatherings in which both would alternate chess with Panajedrez (Bread-Chess), a game invented by Solar himself. In this regard, Borges would often declare the great admiration he felt for his friend Xul, except when they played Panajedrez. Because the rules of that game were not written, Solar would change them as he went along or challenged the validity of certain moves.
Curated by Gabriela Rangel in collaboration with poet Lila Zemborain and the Museo Xul Solar in Buenos Aires, this exhibition offers a fascinating record of the friendship and work developed between two authors who rejected realism in favor of mystical labyrinths of thought and language. Borges never missed an opportunity to acknowledge the great intellectual attributes of his friend and he successfully showcases them in this exhibition.
