For a better understanding of the cultural and artistic choices of the Bourbonian court during the Restoration period, the study of iconography of the king Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies can be very helpful. As a matter of fact, his first images, when he is just a child, are dominated by a typical French naturalism inherited by the Napoleonic period and represented by artists like Copinet, Franque, Lemasle and Cammarano. But since 1830, when he become king, in his portraits the nature has the tendency to disappear making way almost exclusively for his stately figure, in uniform and always equal. There’s a progressive removal of the presence of the nature – like the symbolic references of the kingdom, as the Vesuvius, the real sites and so on – and the creation of anti-naturalistic images, flat and stylized, realized by many mediocre and academic artists. The nature will make its only appearance in the commemorative paintings representing inaugurations of bridges, railroads, or military parades. But just as a border for the actions and the power of the king, in a very different way from that conceived by Hackert in the last twenty years of XVIII century. Differently, Ferdinand II will deal with nature when photography will come at court, even if the iconography will remain the same. In addition, the caricatures and the satirical sketches will put in evidence the physical defects and the relationship of the king with the surrounding reality.

Per una migliore comprensione delle scelte culturali e artistiche della corte borbonica durante la Restaurazione, di grande aiuto appare l’analisi dell’iconografia di Ferdinando II delle Due Sicilie, non ancora presa adeguatamente in considerazione dagli studi. Le prime immagini che ritraggono il sovrano bambino sono dominate da un tipico naturalismo francese ereditato dal periodo napoleonico e rappresentato da artisti come Copinet, Franque, Lemasle e Cammarano. Ma, a partire dal 1830, quando cioè egli diventa re, nei suoi ritratti la natura tende a sparire lasciando posto quasi esclusivamente alla sua figura, in uniforme e sempre uguale. Si registra cioè una progressiva rimozione della presenza della natura – così come dei riferimenti al Regno, al Vesuvio, ai siti reali e così via – e la creazione di immagini antinaturalistiche, piatte e stilizzate, realizzate da molti artisti mediocri e accademici. La natura farà la sua comparsa nei dipinti che celebrano l’inaugurazione di ponti, di ferrovie, o parate militari. Ma sempre come contorno per le azioni e il potere del sovrano, in una concezione molto diversa da quella offerta da Hackert negli ultimi vent’anni del XVIII secolo. Per contro, Ferdinando II sarà tradito dalla natura quando la fotografia giungerà a corte, anche se l’iconografia resterà la stessa. Inoltre, le caricature e le vignette satiriche evidenzieranno i difetti fisici e il rapporto del re con la realtà circostante.

Il re Bomba e l'eclissi della natura. Una lettura iconografica delle raffigurazioni di Ferdinando II di Borbone

Brevetti G
2014

Abstract

For a better understanding of the cultural and artistic choices of the Bourbonian court during the Restoration period, the study of iconography of the king Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies can be very helpful. As a matter of fact, his first images, when he is just a child, are dominated by a typical French naturalism inherited by the Napoleonic period and represented by artists like Copinet, Franque, Lemasle and Cammarano. But since 1830, when he become king, in his portraits the nature has the tendency to disappear making way almost exclusively for his stately figure, in uniform and always equal. There’s a progressive removal of the presence of the nature – like the symbolic references of the kingdom, as the Vesuvius, the real sites and so on – and the creation of anti-naturalistic images, flat and stylized, realized by many mediocre and academic artists. The nature will make its only appearance in the commemorative paintings representing inaugurations of bridges, railroads, or military parades. But just as a border for the actions and the power of the king, in a very different way from that conceived by Hackert in the last twenty years of XVIII century. Differently, Ferdinand II will deal with nature when photography will come at court, even if the iconography will remain the same. In addition, the caricatures and the satirical sketches will put in evidence the physical defects and the relationship of the king with the surrounding reality.
2014
Brevetti, G
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11591/414370
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