A decorative style is known as grotesque.
Before entering fully into the meaning of the term grotesque , we are going to proceed to know its etymological origin. In this case, we can emphasize that it derives from Italian, exactly from grottesco , which can be translated as "relating to or belonging to a grotto." And that word, in turn, emanates from the Latin crupta or crypta , which is synonymous with "grotto" or "underground gallery."
This etymological root, therefore, can be seen in the meaning of the term as that linked to an artificial grotto : that is, to a cavern or cave created by man.
The grotesque in ornamentation and in a symbolic way
Another use of the notion is as a synonym for grotesque , a style of decoration that emerged from the ornamentation of caves found in Rome in the 15th century . The grotesque, which combines foliage and plants with mythological creatures, vessels and other elements, is characterized by absurdity and extravagance.
By extension to this meaning, that which is in bad taste or ridiculous began to be described as grotesque. Something grotesque, therefore, is misguided, irrational, vulgar or vulgar.
For example: “The opposition stated that the government project is grotesque and announced that it will promote protests so that it does not prosper” , “The actors' costumes were described as grotesque by specialized critics” , “The footballers sign grotesque contracts while the majority of the country's inhabitants are poor."
Starting from this meaning we can establish that among the synonyms of grotesque we find words such as extravagant, laughable, peripatetic, ridiculous, burlesque and even caricature . On the contrary, its antonyms include words such as serious or normal .
The grotesque can be associated with the extravagant.
The term in literature
In the field of literature, the term that concerns us now has been used on numerous occasions to give titles to different works. This would be the case, for example, of the novel “Grotesco” , published in 2003 , written by Natsuo Kirino and which falls within the crime novel genre.
It tells the story of the discovery of the lifeless bodies of two prostitutes in Japan . Women who have been murdered by a Chinese citizen who is in the country illegally. This tragic event will lead the sister of one of the victims to decide to tell the reader her complicated story, the hard times she had to face and how she found a way to survive in her beauty and her body. in such a cruel world.
The grotesque Creole
In Argentina , there is a subgenre of drama known as criollo grotesque . Armando Discépolo , playwright and theater director, created the Creole grotesque from his play “Mateo” , premiered in 1923 .
The Creole grotesque is associated with the sainete , a humorous drama with a traditional tone that emerged in Spain . In the Argentine case, the sainete was combined with the circus to tell stories that take place in the conventillos (collective housing that in other countries are called tenements or tenement houses).