“As you know, the word poiesis (to make, to create) is complex and manifold. And all creation or passage of non-being into being is poiesis. The products of every craft are creations and the craftsmen who make them are all creators (poiētaí)”

Symposium, Plato

The words of Diotima of Mantinea in Plato’s Symposium, read today, have the effect of re-establishing one of the meanings of the Greek term poiesis. Poetry may be circumscribed to the versified word or it may include other creations like music or art. The Platonic dialogues show us that the multiplicity of meanings may put us on the trail of the truth through the word. Whether in the agora, in a cafeteria or a museum, the agreements and disagreements between Art and Poetry still constitute a subject for reflection that is both inexhaustible and indispensable.

The Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya wishes to continue nourishing this fascinating dialogue with the organization of the Conference on Art and Poetry: A Tribute to José Corredor-Matheos, on 30 May.

This Conference, which will feature the intervention of experts on the subject and poets of renowned prestige, comprises three blocs: a series of talks exploring the relationships between Art and Poetry, a poetry reading and the presentation of a book published by the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya including a significant selection of articles on the subject of art criticism by the poet and critic José Corredor-Matheos (Alcázar de San Juan, 1929).

Corredor-Matheos has become an essential figure for understanding the Catalan art of the second half of the 20^th century without ceasing to ask ourselves questions about the mystery that inspires the creator. This gathering will allow us to reflect on mysticism, zen, feminism and contemporary creation.

The Conference, which is addressed to experts, professionals, scholars and is open in general to anyone who loves art and poetry, sets out to highlight the essential role criticism plays in equipping us with tools of comprehension in our experience of Art and Poetry.

PROGRAMME

MORNING

• 9:30-10 am – Accreditations.
• 10-10:30 am – Welcome by Pepe Serra, director of the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya.

BLOC 1

• 10:30-11:15 am – La noche y la unión mística de San Juan de la Cruz en Tomás Luis de Victoria y Francisco de Zurbarán”. Lola Josa, Professor of Golden Age Spanish Literature, University of Barcelona.
• 11:15 am-12 noon – La mare, la germana i l’estrangera: poesia d’artistes contemporànies. Assumpta Bassas, Doctor of Art History, University of Barcelona, and pioneer in feminist research in Catalonia.
• 12 noon-12:45 pm – Coffee break.
• 12:45-1:30 pm – Palabra, sonido, imagen. Rafael Argullol, essayist, poet and narrator.
• 1:30-2:15 pm – Zen i art contemporani. Jesús Martínez Clarà, writer, curator and art critic.
• 12:15-12:30 pm – Conclusion.

AFTERNOON

4:30-5 pm – El circo de la poíesis. Acerca del arte inútil. Chantal Maillard, National Poetry Prize winner and philosopher.

BLOC 2

• 5-5:20 pm – Poetry reading by Chantal Maillard.
• 5:20-5:40 pm – Poetry reading by Sílvia Gubern, artist and poet.
• 5:40-6 pm – Poetry reading by José Corredor-Matheos, National Poetry Prize winner and art critic.
• 6-6:20 pm – Conclusion.

BLOC 3

• 6:30 pm – Presentation of the book José Corredor-Matheos. Crítica d’art, 1961-1974 by Àlex Mitrani, contemporary art conservator, Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya.