Duende is a term used to describe artistry empowered by the awareness of death. It has similarities to the idea of “soul,” in art and life, but although both share the sense of tragedy or pain moving the creative energies, duende is libidinally charged, having more fire and drama in it.
The term duende comes from popular Spanish culture, created from the phrase Duen de Casa – Master of the House. This refers to a poltergeist-like trickster figure that makes a general irritation of its self by hiding things, breaking china, and making noise. However, there was another usage of the term that comes from Andalusia, where great artists are said to have duende, inferring that they are in contact with this force. Great bullfighters, singers, and dancers are graced with this description. Duende becomes a personification of, and resonates to, daimons, muses, and/or demons; it is an energy that moves through the body and soul. It is described as a possession as much as a talent. In this guise,...
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Bader, C. (2014). Duende and Psychoanalysis. In: Leeming, D.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6086-2_189
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