Manchester University Press
12 Mussolini as monument
Abstract
The history of Giuseppe Graziosi's monumental statue will show the extent to which portraits of the Duce became invested with the halo attributed to Benito Mussolini himself. Graziosi explored traditional perspective, and, as far as sculpture is concerned, he went back to the late sixteenth century as well as to earlier sculptors such as Jacopo della Quercia. The Il Resto del Carlino was complemented by a photograph of the equestrian statue in place at the Littoriale stadium, which both reminded the Bolognese people of the events of the day. With reference to the image of Mussolini, Laura Malvano maintains that while mass culture was suited to spread the cult of the Duce, high culture painting and sculpture was used to convey metaphors of Italianness.
Abstract
The history of Giuseppe Graziosi's monumental statue will show the extent to which portraits of the Duce became invested with the halo attributed to Benito Mussolini himself. Graziosi explored traditional perspective, and, as far as sculpture is concerned, he went back to the late sixteenth century as well as to earlier sculptors such as Jacopo della Quercia. The Il Resto del Carlino was complemented by a photograph of the equestrian statue in place at the Littoriale stadium, which both reminded the Bolognese people of the events of the day. With reference to the image of Mussolini, Laura Malvano maintains that while mass culture was suited to spread the cult of the Duce, high culture painting and sculpture was used to convey metaphors of Italianness.
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Contents v
- List of illustrations vii
- Notes on contributors ix
- Introduction 1
-
Part I The Origins of a Personality Cult
- 1 Political cults in liberal Italy, 1861–1922 11
- 2 The propagation of the cult of the Duce, 1925–26 27
- 3 Margherita Sarfatti and the invention of the Duce 41
- 4 Sanity from a lunatic asylum 57
- 5 Mass culture and the cult of personality 72
-
Part II The Duce and the Fascist Regime
- 6 A town for the cult of the Duce 93
- 7 Mussolini’s appearances in the regions 110
- 8 The internalisation of the cult of the Duce 129
- 9 Mussolini and the Italian Empire, 1935–41 144
-
Part III The Iconography of the Duce
- 10 Portraits of the Duce 161
- 11 Photographing Mussolini 178
- 12 Mussolini as monument 193
- 13 Mussolini and the city of Rome 209
-
Part IV After the Fall of Fascism
- 14 The destiny of the art and artefacts 227
- 15 The aftermath of the Mussolini cult: history, nostalgia and popular culture 241
- 16 Mussolini and post-war Italian television 257
- Afterword 270
- Index 278
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Contents v
- List of illustrations vii
- Notes on contributors ix
- Introduction 1
-
Part I The Origins of a Personality Cult
- 1 Political cults in liberal Italy, 1861–1922 11
- 2 The propagation of the cult of the Duce, 1925–26 27
- 3 Margherita Sarfatti and the invention of the Duce 41
- 4 Sanity from a lunatic asylum 57
- 5 Mass culture and the cult of personality 72
-
Part II The Duce and the Fascist Regime
- 6 A town for the cult of the Duce 93
- 7 Mussolini’s appearances in the regions 110
- 8 The internalisation of the cult of the Duce 129
- 9 Mussolini and the Italian Empire, 1935–41 144
-
Part III The Iconography of the Duce
- 10 Portraits of the Duce 161
- 11 Photographing Mussolini 178
- 12 Mussolini as monument 193
- 13 Mussolini and the city of Rome 209
-
Part IV After the Fall of Fascism
- 14 The destiny of the art and artefacts 227
- 15 The aftermath of the Mussolini cult: history, nostalgia and popular culture 241
- 16 Mussolini and post-war Italian television 257
- Afterword 270
- Index 278
