| Uruguayans love to dance. The tango, a
dance first developed in Argentina, is very popular. La Cumparsita
is a famous Uruguayan tango song written by Gerardo Mattos Rodríguez.
The tango is often danced to guitar and accordion music by Uruguayan artists.
Traditional dances in Uruguay include the milonga, the vidalita,
the cifra and the pericon, which are still performed in rural
areas, as well as the candombe, which is performed in Montevideo
during Carnival.
Uruguay has also produced many fine classical
musicians and composers, including Eduardo Fabini (1882-1950) and Héctor
Tosar (1923- ). The government of Uruguay supports two symphony orchestras
as well as a theatre company. |
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| Juan Manuel Blanes (1830-1901) was the most famous
19th century artist in Uruguay. He painted large canvases depicting gaucho
life and events from Uruguay's history. Pedro Figari (1861-1938) painted
detailed scenes of daily life in Montevideo and the countryside. Joaquín
Torres García (1874-1949) developed a style known as constructive
universalism and influenced a generation of Uruguayan painters. The realistic
sculptures of José Belloni (1880-1965) can be seen in public parks
and plazas in Montevideo. They depict scenes from Uruguayan life, such
as a stagecoach drawn by horses, or a wagon pulled by oxen. |
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Did you know? |
| The
Costa-Gavras movie, State of Siege (1973), is set in Uruguay in
the early 1970s. It explores the conflict between Uruguay's government
and the leftist Tupamaro guerrillas. |
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| One of Uruguay's most famous works of literature
is Ariel, by José Enrique Rodó (1871-1917). Written in 1900,
the book is about the need to maintain spiritual values while pursuing
material and technical progress. Florencio Sánchez (1875-1910) wrote
plays about social problems that are still performed today. Juan Zorilla
de San Martín (1855-1931) wrote epic poems about Uruguayan history.
Juana de Ibarbourou (1895-1979) and Delmira Agustini (1866-1914) were also
notable poets. Modern Uruguayan writers include Juan Carlos Onetti (author
of No Man's Land and The Shipyard), Mario Benedetti and Eduardo
Galeano. |
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Did you know? |
| One
of the longest murals in the world was painted by the Uruguayan artist
Carlos Páez Vilaró. The mural stretches along the side of
a tunnel that connects the two buildings of the Pan American Union in Washington.
Vilaró also painted a mural for the United Nations building in New
York City. |
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