Satirizing Futurism in France: Roland Dorgelès, André Warnod and their Circle
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Serge Lorenzo Milan
Abstract
The Manifesto of Excessivism, published in Paris in 1910, was a highly effective satire of Modernist and avant-garde painting. It imitated the style and tone of the first Futurist manifestos, thereby confirming that this movement had achieved notoriety due to its radicalism and artistic innovation. Moreover, the fact that its author, the painter ‘Boronali’, was a donkey manipulated by the journalist Roland Dorgelès and the illustrator André Warnod, had considerable repercussions and revealed the ties between Parisian artistic and bohemian circles and the budding avant-garde scene. This essay examines the similarities between Excessivism and early Futurist manifestos. It explains how the hoax was carried out and describes the personality of Dorgelès and Warnod, one of the most important illustrators and supporters of Futurism in France. Additionally, it sheds light on the artistic atmosphere in Paris at the time of the Salon des Indépendants, when Modernist, Post-Impressionist, Cubist and Futurist paintings were gaining ground, by analysing the prank’s critical reception. Specifically, it focusses on two accounts written by Dorgelès on his ties to Futurism and on the hoax’s impact in Paris and abroad, including Russia.
Abstract
The Manifesto of Excessivism, published in Paris in 1910, was a highly effective satire of Modernist and avant-garde painting. It imitated the style and tone of the first Futurist manifestos, thereby confirming that this movement had achieved notoriety due to its radicalism and artistic innovation. Moreover, the fact that its author, the painter ‘Boronali’, was a donkey manipulated by the journalist Roland Dorgelès and the illustrator André Warnod, had considerable repercussions and revealed the ties between Parisian artistic and bohemian circles and the budding avant-garde scene. This essay examines the similarities between Excessivism and early Futurist manifestos. It explains how the hoax was carried out and describes the personality of Dorgelès and Warnod, one of the most important illustrators and supporters of Futurism in France. Additionally, it sheds light on the artistic atmosphere in Paris at the time of the Salon des Indépendants, when Modernist, Post-Impressionist, Cubist and Futurist paintings were gaining ground, by analysing the prank’s critical reception. Specifically, it focusses on two accounts written by Dorgelès on his ties to Futurism and on the hoax’s impact in Paris and abroad, including Russia.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Editorial IX
-
Section 1: Futurism Studies
- The Futurist Manifestos of 1909: Dates and Editions Reconsidered 3
- Margherita Sarfatti, Novecento and Futurism 35
- Network Diagrams in Futurist and other Avant-garde Magazines: The Creation and Self-Positioning of an Imaginary Community 68
- The Reception of Italian Futurism in Vienna during the 1920s and 1930s 95
- Carlos Porfírio and Futurism in the Algarve: An Early Chapter in the History of Portuguese Modernism 120
- Tullio d’Albisola between Futurism and Fascism 149
- The Georgian Avant-garde: Futurism and More 172
- Futurism and the Birth of Modern Typography 200
- Tato and Exhibitions of Futurist Photography in the 1930s 216
- In Search of Lost Scents: The Olfactory Dimension of Italian Futurism 247
- Satirizing Futurism in France: Roland Dorgelès, André Warnod and their Circle 276
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Section 2: Caricatures and Satires of Futurism in the Contemporary Press
- At a Sándor Bortnyik Exhibition in Budapest (June 1919): A Hungarian Critic’s Interpretation of ‘Futurism’ 309
- Ragnvald Blix’s Caricature of Futurist Painting in the Midst of WWI 315
- French Humour and Futurist Music: Luigi Russolo’s intonarumori in a Cartoon by Jean-Jacques Roussau 319
- Caricatures of Futurism in Il travaso delle idee 324
- Macaronetti, Marie Netti, and the Like: Parodies of Futurism at the Great Zwans Exhibition in Brussels (1914) 328
- Returning to the Futurist Fold: A Caricature in Bloodless Murder Magazine (1916) 332
- Marinetti Viewed by Antonio Teixeira Cabral, a Portuguese “Caricature-on-the-scene reporter” 336
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Section 3: Archive Report
- Archive Report: The Archiv der Avantgarden (AdA) in Dresden 341
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Section 4: Reviews
- A New Study on Italian Futurism and the Machine 359
- New Research into Marinetti’s Notebooks 368
- Evola’s Path from Futurism to Dada and Beyond 379
- Valentine de Saint-Point: Between Carnality and Ideism, Between East and West 383
- Contours and Borders of International Futurism 392
- Růžena Zátková’s Life and Works Elucidated in a New Study 397
- Ukrainian Modernism between Futurism and Constructivism, between Russia and the West 404
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Section 5: Bibliography
- A Bibliography of Publications on Futurism, 2017–2020 411
-
Section 6: Back Matter
- List of Illustrations and Provenance Descriptions 431
- Notes on Contributors 439
- Name Index 449
- Subject Index 481
- Geographical Index 511
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Editorial IX
-
Section 1: Futurism Studies
- The Futurist Manifestos of 1909: Dates and Editions Reconsidered 3
- Margherita Sarfatti, Novecento and Futurism 35
- Network Diagrams in Futurist and other Avant-garde Magazines: The Creation and Self-Positioning of an Imaginary Community 68
- The Reception of Italian Futurism in Vienna during the 1920s and 1930s 95
- Carlos Porfírio and Futurism in the Algarve: An Early Chapter in the History of Portuguese Modernism 120
- Tullio d’Albisola between Futurism and Fascism 149
- The Georgian Avant-garde: Futurism and More 172
- Futurism and the Birth of Modern Typography 200
- Tato and Exhibitions of Futurist Photography in the 1930s 216
- In Search of Lost Scents: The Olfactory Dimension of Italian Futurism 247
- Satirizing Futurism in France: Roland Dorgelès, André Warnod and their Circle 276
-
Section 2: Caricatures and Satires of Futurism in the Contemporary Press
- At a Sándor Bortnyik Exhibition in Budapest (June 1919): A Hungarian Critic’s Interpretation of ‘Futurism’ 309
- Ragnvald Blix’s Caricature of Futurist Painting in the Midst of WWI 315
- French Humour and Futurist Music: Luigi Russolo’s intonarumori in a Cartoon by Jean-Jacques Roussau 319
- Caricatures of Futurism in Il travaso delle idee 324
- Macaronetti, Marie Netti, and the Like: Parodies of Futurism at the Great Zwans Exhibition in Brussels (1914) 328
- Returning to the Futurist Fold: A Caricature in Bloodless Murder Magazine (1916) 332
- Marinetti Viewed by Antonio Teixeira Cabral, a Portuguese “Caricature-on-the-scene reporter” 336
-
Section 3: Archive Report
- Archive Report: The Archiv der Avantgarden (AdA) in Dresden 341
-
Section 4: Reviews
- A New Study on Italian Futurism and the Machine 359
- New Research into Marinetti’s Notebooks 368
- Evola’s Path from Futurism to Dada and Beyond 379
- Valentine de Saint-Point: Between Carnality and Ideism, Between East and West 383
- Contours and Borders of International Futurism 392
- Růžena Zátková’s Life and Works Elucidated in a New Study 397
- Ukrainian Modernism between Futurism and Constructivism, between Russia and the West 404
-
Section 5: Bibliography
- A Bibliography of Publications on Futurism, 2017–2020 411
-
Section 6: Back Matter
- List of Illustrations and Provenance Descriptions 431
- Notes on Contributors 439
- Name Index 449
- Subject Index 481
- Geographical Index 511
