Frigeri, Flavia; (2018) Red fish and paper tigers: The mobilisation of art and image culture in Rome, 1955-1970. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

Abstract

The main concern of this thesis is the way in which a group of artists based in Rome made vision itself the primary tool through which they investigated the post-war visual landscape. Among them are Franco Angeli, Mario Ceroli, Tano Festa, Giosetta Fioroni, Jannis Kounellis, Pino Pascali, Mimmo Rotella, Mario Schifano and Cy Twombly. Over five chapters I will explore the way in which these artists engaged with the image culture engendered by the Italian ‘economic miracle’ (1958-1963). Fostering a multiplicity of visions the image culture under scrutiny here is rooted in a range of spheres, from advertisement to urban signage, passing through film and industrial design. These different fields inform my reading of the artists’ works and complicate the way they have usually been discussed. The city of Rome, constantly struggling between a laden past and a modern present, is also central to my study. With its norms and visual iconography, the cityscape acts as both referent and setting. Finally, my analysis of this period draws upon then contemporary writings of Italo Calvino, Gillo Dorfles and Umberto Eco. This broader critical approach will allow me to uncover the ambivalent attitude that Angeli, Ceroli, Festa, Fioroni, Kounellis, Pascali, Rotella, Schifano, and Twombly maintained towards an image culture that pervaded the city and its spaces, treading a fine line between symptom and diagnosis, as both subjects in thrall to and observers of it.

Download activity - last month

Export as JSONXMLCSV

Download activity - last 12 months

Export as XMLCSVJSON

Downloads by country - last 12 months

Export as JSONCSVXML

Archive Staff Only

View Item