MF A
ERIK DETTWILER
2006—17
B 1
dewil.ch—2017
Edition Haus am Gern
B 1
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license visit ‹ http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ › or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA
2 3
Edition Haus am Gern – 2502 Biel/Bienne edition@hausamgern.ch | www.edition-hausamgern.ch
first edition, June, 2017 isbn: 978-3-9524642-1-2 • design and layout: dewil.ch projects concept, idea, text and photographs: Erik Dettwiler 4u@dewil.ch | www.dewil.ch by-nc-nd—Berlin—2017
2 3
Erik Dettwiler
4 5
PREFACE
This photographic cycle is related to a retrospective exhibition of Andy Warhol, held at the Chiostro del Bramante in Rome—a singular example of Renaissance architecture, projected by Bramante at the beginning of the 16th century. The exhibition’s ambiguous title “Repent and Sin no More”1 examined an undisclosed aspect of Warhol’s relationship towards spirituality and religion. The public relation concept for the show depicted a selfportrait of the artist. Subsequently numerous advertising surfaces all over Rome displayed Warhol’s portrait— from the city’s center to its vast outskirts. My interest was prompted by the obvious reciprocity of pop art on billboards. A place where goods and products are usually promoted. This paradox layering of the represented art intrigued me. An artistic œuvre, which implies on consumerism and advertisement, is blended here into the world of commerce. The artists’s head shot—appearing here as an advertisement—virtually juxtaposed various aspects of Warhol’s artistic concepts with the reality of everyday life. Besides the pop art image also mingled synergistically with the street names, heading the respective advertising surfaces. Names, dedicated to late intellectuals, philosophers, politicians, artists, famous people in general (another facet in Warhol’s thematic complex) or to other particularities of Italian history. “Fred and I had to leave for our private audience with the pope… We got our tickets and then the driver dropped us off at the Vatican… They finally took us to our seats with the rest of the 5,000 people and a nun screamed out.
‘You’re Andy Warhol! Can I have your autograph?’. She looked like Valerie Solanis so I got scared she’d pull out a gun and shoot me. Then I had to sign five more autographs for other nuns… Then finally the pope was 4 coming our way. He shook everybody’s hand and Fred 5 kissed his ring and got Suzie’s cross blessed… and he shook my hand and I said I was from New York, too. I didn’t kiss his hand… The mob behind us were jumping down from their seats, it was scary. As soon as Fred and I got blessed we ran out”.2
1 Andy Warhol’s silkscreen print Repent and Sin no More was realized in 1986 and is part of his series of Late Advertisings. 2 April 2, 1980—Andy Warhol’s Diaries entry records their meeting with Pope John Paul II. The Andy Warhol Diaries, New York, 1989. http://thepittsburghhistoryjournal.com/page/28 (January 24, 2017)
6 7
6 7
8 9
8 9
10 11
10 11
12 13
12 13
14 15
14 15
16 17
16 17
18 19
18 19
20 21
20 21
22 23
22 23
24 25
24 25
26 27
26 27
28 29
28 29
30 31
30 31
32 33
32 33
34 35
34 35
36 37
36 37
38 39
38 39
40 41
40 41
42 43
42 43
44 45
44 45
46 47
46 47
48 49
48 49
50 51
APPENDIX
50 51
52 53
pp. 8–9 Pope Saint Leo IV (790–17 July, 855) was Pope from 10th April 847 to his death in 855. He is remembered for repairing Roman churches that had been damaged during Arab raids on Rome, and for organizing a league of Italian cities who fought the sea Battle of Ostia against the Saracens. Benedict III was Leo’s immediate successor. Though a medieval tradition claimed that a woman, Pope Joan, succeeded him, disguising herself as a man. pp. 10–11 Masaccio (December 21, 1401–summer 1428), born Tommaso di Ser Giovanni di Simone, was the first great Italian painter of the Quattrocento period of the Italian Renaissance. Masaccio was using linear perspective in his painting, employing techniques such as vanishing point in Western art for the first time. pp. 12–13 Tiziano Vecelli (1488/1490–August 27, 1576), known in English as Titian, was an Italian painter, the most important member of the 16th century Venetian school. Recognized by his contemporaries as “The Sun Amidst Small Stars” (recalling the famous final line of Dante’s Paradiso). Titian was one of the most versatile of Italian painters, equally adept with portraits, landscape backgrounds, and mythological and religious subjects. pp. 14–17 Baruch Spinoza (born Benedito de Espinosa; November 24, 1632–February 21, 1677) was a Dutch philosopher of Sephardi/Portuguese origin. Spinoza’s magnum opus Ethics was published posthumously in 1677. The work opposed René Descartes’ philosophy on mind–body
dualism, and earned Spinoza recognition as one of Western philosophy’s most important thinkers. pp. 18–23 Karl Marx (May 5, 1818–March 14, 1883) was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. Marx’s theories about society, economics and politics—collectively understood as Marxism—allege that the human societies are developing through class struggles. This manifests itself in capitalism, more precise in the conflict between the ruling classes (bourgeoisie) that control the means of production and working classes (proletariat) that enable these means by selling their labour for wages. p. 25 Victor Emmanuel II (Vittorio Emanuele Maria Alberto 52 Eugenio Ferdinando Tommaso; March 14, 1820–January 53 9, 1878) was King of Sardinia from 1849 until 17th March 1861, when he assumed the title Re d’Italia to become the first king of a united Italy since the 6th century, a title he held until his death in 1878. The Italians gave him the epithet Padre della Patria (Father of the Fatherland). pp. 26–27 Benedetto Cairoli (January 28, 1825–August 8, 1889) was an Italian statesman. From 1848 until the completion of Italian unity in 1870, Cairoli’s whole activity was devoted to the Risorgimento (resurgence or revival), as Garibaldian officer, political refugee, anti-Austrian conspirator and deputy to parliament. p. 29 Luigi Einaudi (March 24, 1874–October 30, 1961) was an Italian politician and economist. He served as the
second President of the Italian Republic between 1948 and 1955. Einaudi worked as a journalist for some Italian newspapers. From 1926 on he stopped working for these newspapers—under the Fascist regime—and resuming his professional relationship with the Corriere della Sera after the fall of the regime in 1943. p. 31 Domenico De Dominicis (March 8, 1875–December 25, 1913), Italian soldier, awarded with the Medaglia d’oro delle Guerre Africane (Gold Medal of African Wars). He was officer of the Battaglioni Ascari (battalion of local and Eritrean mercenaries) during military operations in Libya following the Italo-Turkish or Turco-Italian War. De Dominicis was involved in a battle in the Fezzan region and was fatally wounded on December 24, 1913. The Italo-Turkish War was fought between the 54 Ottoman Empire (Turkey) and the Kingdom of Italy from 55 September 29, 1911, to October 18, 1912. The Italo-Turkish War saw numerous technological changes. 1911 on October 23, an Italian pilot—Captain Carlo Piazza—flew over Turkish lines on the world’s first aerial reconnaissance mission. In the same year on November 1 the first ever aerial bomb was dropped, by lieutenant Giulio Gavotti, on Turkish troops in Libya. pp. 32–33 Via Vittorio Veneto, colloquially called Via Veneto, is one of the most famous and elegant streets of Rome. The street is named after the Battle of Vittorio Veneto (1918), a decisive Italian victory of World War I. Federico Fellini’s classic 1960 film La Dolce Vita was mostly centered on the Via Veneto area. The street was built in the 1880s, during a real estate boom subsequent to the annexation of Rome to the new Kingdom of Italy.
pp. 34–35 The chancery of the Embassy of the United States is situated in the Palazzo Margherita (Via Vittorio Veneto). The palace was built from 1886 to 1890, by Gaetano Koch, for prince Rodolfo Boncompagni Ludovisi. The building is named after queen Margherita of Savoy, who lived there after the assassination of her husband Umberto I in Monza in 1900, till her death in 1926. p. 37 Nedo Nadi (9 June, 1894–29 January, 1940) was one of the best Italian fencers of all time. He is the only fencer to win a gold medal in each of the three weapons at a single Olympic Games and won the most fencing gold medals ever (five) at a single Games—until Mark Spitz, who won seven gold medals at the 1972 Olympics. Nadi won six Olympic gold medals in total. pp. 38–39 Totò alias Prince Antonio Griffo Focas Flavio Angelo Ducas Comneno Porfirogenito Gagliardi De Curtis di Bisanzio, shortened to Antonio De Curtis (February 15, 1898–April 15, 1967), best known by his stage name Totò, nicknamed il Principe della risata (Prince of laughter), was an Italian comedian, film and theatre actor, writer, singer and songwriter. Totò was classified as a heir of the Commedia dell’Arte tradition. Commedia began in Italy in the 16th century. It is a form of theatre that is characterized by masked types and improvised performances which are based on sketches or scenarios. Totò was compared to such figures in art as Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin.
p. 41 La struttura originale del mercato Flaminio I (The original Flaminio I covered market—to distinguish it from Flaminio II—also a covered market in via Guido Reni) was founded by the nobel Ruffo Family. The origin of the market goes back to the beginnings of the 20th century. In that period the market was still settled along the streets. In the 1940s Lady Ruffo donated the family’s storerooms to the municipality of Rome. The commune transferred it to a covered suburban market. pp. 42–43 Zona XXIV Fonte Ostiense (depicted: cnr Viale Cesare Pavese and Via Umberto Saba). The name of the zone references an acidulous water source which is close to via Ostiense. La Ferratella (a historic subdivision) is the northern part of the territory, occupied by grand buildings, projected in the 1970s and built on an estate of the noble Borghese Family. In recent years La Ferratella has become an important financial and commercial quarter where many—also international—companys have established their offices. pp. 44–45 Rocky Balboa is the title character of the Rocky series (1976–). The character was created by Sylvester Stallone, who also portrayed him in all Rocky movies. He is depicted as an everyman who started out by going the distance and overcoming obstacles that had occurred in his life and career as a professional boxer. While Rocky is loosely based on Chuck Wepner (1939–), a one-time boxer who fought Muhammad Ali and lost on a TKO in the 15th round in a 1975 title fight. The inspiration for the name, iconography, and fighting style came from boxing legend Rocky Marciano (1923–1969).
pp. 46–47 Moschea di Roma (Mosque of Rome), situated in Parioli, is the largest mosque outside the Islamic world (excl. Russia and India). Being the Western world’s biggest mosque. It has an area of 30,000 m2 and can accommodate more than 12,000 people. The building is located in the Acqua Acetosa area, at the foot of the Monti Parioli, north of the city. Its planning took more than ten years: the Roman City Council donated the land in 1974. Though the first stone was laid only in 1984, in the presence of then President of the Italian Republic Sandro Pertini. The inauguration of the Moschea di Roma took place on June 21 in 1995.
54 55
Text sources: wikipedia.org & other web sites – January 2017
56 C
dewil.ch—2017
56 C
dewil.ch—2017
Edition Haus am Gern
D MF