9 Nocturnal itineraries
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Paola Sica
Abstract
This chapter explores the specific texture of the Florentine cultural milieu in which the group of L'ltalia Futurista operated. It focuses on the work of one of its representatives, Irma Valeria. In 'Occultismo e arte nuova' Valeria elucidates her aesthetic position. The chapter determines what the different shades of blue, together with illuminated nights and skies, stand for in this writer's vision of the world, and in her conception of gender and the self. It intends to build upon previous scholarship on gender issues in Futurism, focusing especially on the paradoxical virile aspects of new female subjects that the women of the movement emphasised in order to gain more power and recognition. The chapter shows the cultural roots of a new type of metamorphic self (a type at times female, and at others gender neutral), and its political implications in the context of early twentieth-century Italian society.
Abstract
This chapter explores the specific texture of the Florentine cultural milieu in which the group of L'ltalia Futurista operated. It focuses on the work of one of its representatives, Irma Valeria. In 'Occultismo e arte nuova' Valeria elucidates her aesthetic position. The chapter determines what the different shades of blue, together with illuminated nights and skies, stand for in this writer's vision of the world, and in her conception of gender and the self. It intends to build upon previous scholarship on gender issues in Futurism, focusing especially on the paradoxical virile aspects of new female subjects that the women of the movement emphasised in order to gain more power and recognition. The chapter shows the cultural roots of a new type of metamorphic self (a type at times female, and at others gender neutral), and its political implications in the context of early twentieth-century Italian society.
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Contents v
- List of figures vii
- Notes on contributors ix
- Introduction 1
- 1 Engaging the crowd 14
- 2 Heroes/heroines of Futurist culture 27
- 3 ‘Out of touch’ 38
- 4 La bomba-romanzo esplosivo, or Dada’s burning heart 56
- 5 Futurist canons and the development of avant-garde historiography (Futurism – Expressionism – Dada) 72
- 6 ‘An infinity of living forms, representative of the absolute’? 95
- 7 The dispute over simultaneity 113
- 8 Fernand Léger’s La noce 133
- 9 Nocturnal itineraries 145
- 10 ‘A hysterical hullo-bulloo about motor cars’ 159
- 11 Futurist Performance, 1910–1916 176
- 12 Le Roi Bombance 195
- 13 The cult of the ‘expressive’ in Italian Futurist poetry 208
- 14 Visual approaches to Futurist aeropoetry 226
- 15 The Untameables 243
- 16 The dark side of Futurism 255
- 17 Rethinking interdisciplinarity 272
- 18 A Very Beautiful Day After Tomorrow 284
- Index 299
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Contents v
- List of figures vii
- Notes on contributors ix
- Introduction 1
- 1 Engaging the crowd 14
- 2 Heroes/heroines of Futurist culture 27
- 3 ‘Out of touch’ 38
- 4 La bomba-romanzo esplosivo, or Dada’s burning heart 56
- 5 Futurist canons and the development of avant-garde historiography (Futurism – Expressionism – Dada) 72
- 6 ‘An infinity of living forms, representative of the absolute’? 95
- 7 The dispute over simultaneity 113
- 8 Fernand Léger’s La noce 133
- 9 Nocturnal itineraries 145
- 10 ‘A hysterical hullo-bulloo about motor cars’ 159
- 11 Futurist Performance, 1910–1916 176
- 12 Le Roi Bombance 195
- 13 The cult of the ‘expressive’ in Italian Futurist poetry 208
- 14 Visual approaches to Futurist aeropoetry 226
- 15 The Untameables 243
- 16 The dark side of Futurism 255
- 17 Rethinking interdisciplinarity 272
- 18 A Very Beautiful Day After Tomorrow 284
- Index 299
