THE BIRTH OF A NATION
Pictures of Italian Risorgimento from the Archiginnasio collections
The Risorgimento was an epic event right from the very start. The
arts played a fundamental role in communicating its values to the
public opinion - one needs only to remember the music of Verdi,
the novels of Manzoni and Nievo and the poetry of Foscolo, Giusti
and Carducci - and the visual arts equally contributed to it.
A large number of paintings were produced, some independently and
others associated with news and historical reports (newspapers,
magazines, essays, pamphlets, manuals and novels), and all these
forms of communication are well represented in the collections of
the Archiginnasio Library thanks to the patriotic sensitivity and
the historical culture of those private citizens whose collections
are now preserved in the public library, and to the librarians,
the custodians of the cultural life of this city that has every
right to be included in the Italian events.
Over one hundred examples have now been selected for their artistic
and testimonial value that clearly reflects the artists' intention
of reaching many with an unifying message.
The exhibition aims to emphasise the influnce that the production
of these pictures had in shaping the historical consciousness of
the Risorgimento and in the widespread distribution of its ideals.
The first section (Memorable events) presents a large collection
of prints and engravings by some of the most known artists of the
period that portray the most salient episodes; these were intended
for circulation among a widespread audience and thus prepare "the
Italians" for the events. Illustrated magazines that contain
more immediate visual records of the events accompany these prints.
The second section ("Creating Italy" through book illustrations;
"Creating the Italians" through the iconography of the
main Risorgimento characters) instead contains the illustrateted
books that contributed, alongside with the production of contemporary
literature, towards fostering the myth of the Risorgimento in the
moment in which commemorative monuments and the first museums displaying
many relics and testimonials were being unveiled in every city.
SECTIONS
> Memorable events
> Creating Italy"
through book illustrations
> Creating the Italians"
through the iconography of the main Risorgimento characters
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