[The Academy of Fine Arts in Venice. The Nineteenth Century]. Edited by Nico Stringa

Review by Giovanni Mazzaferro
Translation by Francesco Mazzaferro
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L’Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia
L’Ottocento
[The Academy of Fine Arts in Venice. The Nineteenth Century]
Edited by Nico Stringa

2 volumes, Antiga Edizioni, 2016

As promised on the occasion of the publication of the three volumes on the eighteenth century (whose review has already been published on this blog), the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice has published other four full-bodied volumes, two dedicated to the Nineteenth century and two to the Twentieth century, completing a certainly very challenging editorial project. The two volumes on the Nineteenth century have been edited by Nico Stringa and follow the same approach as those preceding them, by trying to identifying milestones in the life of the Academy starting from the materials that are stored in the historical archives of the Academy itself. Its archives have been the subject of a systematic reorganization being completed in recent years [1]. We would like to signal from the outset that the greatest value added is, in itself, to propose materials which had often not yet been published (and are therefore adding new precious information). Obviously, in this case, the counting and publication of these materials could not be systematic (I am thinking, for example, of the figure drawings (re-arranged by Elena Catra) and the architecture drawings (filed by Lara Marchese), of which, in the specific case, it was possible to provide only a few examples).

Below, I am presenting the index of the work:

• Franco Bernabei, The "Discourses at the Academy in the Nineteenth century;
• Guido Zucconi, The School of Architecture after 1850: from the re-launch to the project for an Advanced Institute;
• Massimo Bisson, In the architectural complex of the Charity. Renovations and adaptations for the new seat of the Academy;
• Alexander Auf der Heyde, Geometric design and art history at the Academy of Pietro Selvatico (1849-1859);
• Eva Maria Baumgartner, Leopoldo Cicognara and the relations with Vienna regarding the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice;
• Enrico Noah, The plaster works of the Academy of Fine Arts in 1800;
• Marta Nezzo, The Academy between Austria and Italy: fragments of an intermediate season;
• Giuseppina Perusini, Restoration in Venice in the Nineteenth century: an academic affair;
• Isabella Collavizza, "For the Protection of the fine arts": the pursuit of the heritage protection and the academic committees;
• Angela Munari, The measure of beauty. The library of the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice in the years of Leopoldo Cicognara;
• Sara Filippin, Photographs and photography in the history of the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice, 1850-1950;
• Stefania Portinari, The Academy of Fine Arts in Venice and the great exhibitions: relations and international relations for the promotion of the artists;
• Ivana D'Agostino, Ephemeral apparatuses, costumes, set designs and formularies of models between neo-classicism and romantic sentiment;
• Nico Stringa, The exhibits at the Venice Academy in the Nineteenth century. Notes for a "catalogue of the exposed works";
• Evelina Piera Zanon and Nadia Square, The Academy in the paper files: Institutional aspects and guide to the historical archive (1806-1950);
• Antonella Bellin, The School of Painting in the Nineteenth century;
• Elena Catra, The Schools of Statuary and Sculpture;
• Matteo Gardonio, The School of Landscape;
• Emiliano Covre, Apprenticeship in Rome;
• Nico String, Drawing at the Academy in Venice in 1800;
• Anthology of drawings
• Documents
• Francesca Stopper, Chronology
• Francesca Stopper, Final Bibliography
• Francesca Stopper, Index of names.

Ottavio Bertotti Scamozzi, Section of the Convent of the Charity, 1783
Source: http://www.palladiomuseum.org/ via Wikipedia

Drawing in the Nineteenth century Academy: from "imitation of reality" to a functional tool

With such a large number of contributions, it would be easy to move criticisms on the heterogeneity of materials. I would like however to refrain from it. Let me however point out that, in my personal opinion, it would have been more appropriate to include in the first volume some papers presented in the second one, not because of a matter of hierarchies, but in terms of general approach. In this sense, I am just referring to what Nico Stringa writes in Drawing at the Academy in Venice in 1800 (Vol II, p. 519 ff.): Despite the substantial difference between the Academy in the Eighteenth-century and the (much more structured) Academy of the first half of the Nineteenth century, a crucial element of continuity was taken for granted in substance, though not explicitly theorized: the teaching of design. The two most frequented courses in the Academy were always the Elements of the Figure and the School of Decoration, which were both based on the teaching of drawing: "The drawing, in all its complexity, is a synthesis of the entire curriculum, starting analytically from the copy of an engraving, an object or a cast, and reaching, through the study of the human body, the perfection of complete works, brought to completion with great skill during the course of studies and therefore judged and evaluated by the examination board at the end of the year"(p. 519). The emphasis on drawing becomes evident when one considers the regular publications coinciding with the annual awards ceremonies, the various competitions held periodically and the efforts to print anew the Principles of drawing (I principj del disegno) by Raffaello Morghen and Giovanni Volpato. As the first edition (1786) was not any more available, it was republished first in 1820 and later on in 1831. From this point of view, setting the diversity of taste apart, The principles were used by students as a learning tools for the student, just like it happened for the Studies on painting (Studi di pittura) by Giambattista Piazzetta (see the review of the volumes on the Eighteenth century).

Ludovico Lipparini, Portrait of Count Leopoldo Cicognara, 1825
Source: Wikimedia Commons

A breakthrough in the Nineteenth century happened with the arrival in the Academy of Pietro Selvatico Estense (Secretary and then President of the institution from 1849 to 1859). Mind you: even for Selvatico drawing played a vital role, but for the new president it was not an object to be considered as finished and be included in a museum (it is no coincidence that, during his management tenure, the works for competitions are not retained any more by the Academy, but are returned to students); in essence, the "imitation" design lost the predominant role that had held since the foundation and then from the middle of the Eighteenth century, in favour of the teaching of geometric bodies, of a more detailed study of perspective, of the introduction of drawing based on memory and in the open air; there was therefore a switch to the concept of drawing as a "tool" and not as "result" [2]. The decade of Pietro Selvatico was, in many ways, and even with all contradictions marking it, the real decade of rupture between the teaching of a belated neo-classicism and the recognition by the Academy of new needs, which was also based on the Viennese experience of Rudolf Eitelberger von Edelberg (one might say, an international influence, but this would be a serious historical mistake: Vienna and Venice were under the same emperor).

Francesco Hayez, Selfportrait with a group of friends, Milan, Poldi Pezzoli Museum
Source: http://www.lombardiabeniculturali.it/opere-arte/schede/2o060-00335/

The Teaching in the Schools

The essays by Antonella Bellin, Elena Catra and Matteo Gardonio should be read with this institutional element in mind. They deal respectively with the School of Painting, the School of Statuary and Sculpture and the (far more troubled) School of Landscape in 1800. Without discriminating against the other chapters, they are for me the most interesting sections, because the academy life consists of teaching. It is therefore critical to understand how the academic organization, the teachings, the rhythms and the study time evolved. While this was the central nucleus of academic activity, we should also not forget elements surrounding and completing it, starting from the official celebrations, which resonated in the publication of the 'Discourses' held on such occasions. Franco Bernabei deals with them in the initial essay of the first volume. These interventions of policy and cultural nature were generally held by the President (of course, Cicognara began with a Discourse on the Origin of the Academies which is reproduced in the second volume of documents). They also included, however, biographical medallions and praises of artists pronounced by the Secretary or other guests (usually for their proclamation to honorary members). Bernabei rightly observes that all this literary production (at least until the arrival of Selvatico) was still resounding the Venetian view of art which was chronologically marked by Antonio Maria Zanetti in his On the Venetian painting (1771), which appeared as the true reference work for the Venetian world and beyond it (it is worth noting that Lanzi himself, in his Storia pittorica explicitly wrote to have been inspired by Zanetti’s patterns).

Guglielmo Ciardi, Giudecca Canal, Venice, International Gallery of Modern Art at Ca' Pesaro
Source: http://www.frammentiarte.it/2016/ciardi-guglielmo/

 Behind the scenes

Of course, the official publications allow us to reconstruct an ideal world (and, in this respect, it is practically certain that the neoclassical taste of the early Nineteenth century dominates, with Canova as the supreme model). Such ideal world, however, did not exist and certainly the Academy was no exception, in a Venice that was back under Austrian rule in the middle of the second decade of the century and in which the constraints of censorship must have been particularly stringent. From this point of view, it is interesting to see things from the opposite perspective, and then to read the essay by Eva Maria Baumgartner on Leopoldo Cicognara and its relations with the Austrian administration. It is an interesting writing, because it includes the Austrian comments on the work of Cicognara. I confess, however, to have some doubts over some information provided by Ms Baumgartner. It is no wonder that in 1815 both his dissertations Del Bello (On Beauty) (1808) and his first edition of Storia della Scultura (History of Sculpture), which he begun to publish in 1814, were "on the list of the most dangerous books, which were to be prohibited" (p. 119). On this, the authoress gives the following explanation in a footnote: "On Beauty in the sense of moral and social renewal, involves absolute freedom of thought. The point criticized by the office of the court censorship regarding the History of Sculpture was the unfavourable attitude towards the Christian religion. Vienna, Staatsarchiv. Polizeiakten 1815 Karton 608, n. 977" (p. 132 n. 3). I have no doubt about the authenticity of the document, but maybe the explanation is much simpler: both works were dedicated to Napoleon Bonaparte. The full title of the first edition of the History of the sculpture was even History of sculpture from its resurgence in Italy until the Century of Napoleon to serve as continuation of the works of Winckelmann and of Agincourt (in the second edition, the name of Canova took the place of that of Napoleon).

I personally took for granted that the speeches made at the plenary meetings were previously checked by the Austrian censorship. However, I found myself doubting it after I found out that Giovanni Edwards O'Kelles, son of Pietro Edwards, with an awkward excess of zeal, included the following statement in his Repertorio Generale delle Venete Belle Arti (General Repertoire of Venetian Fine Arts – 1833). The words are specifically included in the section in which a new draft regulation to the Academy was presented to the Austrian government:

"[Editor's note: Regarding the duties of the Secretary] I would consider useful to add to these duties also the previous examination of the speeches of those who are elected as honorary members, in order to ensure that things are not pronounced and stated in front of the Imperial and Monarchic Government, or at the Fine Arts Institute, which would unfavourably hint against the spirit of the Government itself. This also should fall under the responsibility of the Academic President. A similar case has also occurred."[3].

To which episode did Giovanni Edwards refer? Was it, perhaps, the speech by Giuseppe Bianchetti in 1831? Bianchetti was already known - as Bernabei recalled - "for a commemoration of Canova, whose political allusions caused commotion in the Treviso scholar circles" (p. 51). We will most probably never know it, also because not surprisingly there is no written trace of such episodes.

Luigi Nono, The Walk, 1891. Milan, National Museum of Science and Technlogy
Source: http://www.museoscienza.org/dipartimenti/catalogo_OA/scheda_oggetto-oa.asp?oa=359

Restoration and export of works of art abroad

I find important to consider all areas of activities of the Academy. Among these, one cannot miss the restoration, although the Austrian government rejected the proposal by Cicognara to create a special school within the courses of the institute. As Giuseppina Perusini also mentioned in the title of her contribution, restoration remained (if not formally, at least de facto) a domain of the Academy throughout the Nineteenth century. The analysis of Perusini focuses on the restoration of paintings; in this field, it is undeniable that the Academy played a prominent role, exercising authority on the entire heritage of the city through the so-called Standing Commission of Painting. The Standing Commission performed tasks of protection, evaluating the conservation status of works, assigning the tasks to a number of recognized restorers and testing the restoration once finished. The system was not free from dangerous conflicts of interest, and it is not always certain that those in charge of the restoration were fully equipped to this end (Perusini quotes the case of Gugliemo Botti). It is certain that the Commission maintained its effectiveness, even after the unification with Italy of 1866, and especially after Cavalcaselle issued 1877 an administrative instruction assigning the protection of mobile goods to the staff of the Art Gallery, and not anymore to that of the Academy (the formal separation between Gallery and Institute of Fine Arts in Venice was dated 1878). On the role and composition of the Standing Committee of Painting comes back Isabella Collavizza, in the very next contribution, which also addresses one of the most delicate competences assigned to the institution (and - judging by the complaints of academics - also one of the most burdensome tasks): the official responsibility to issue the export authorizations of works of art upon examination of the same. It was a task attributed the Academy since 1818, and that we are able to analyse in detail (of course only as legal trade is concerned, since any form of smuggling of goods is excluded by definition) via a series of files stored in the archive of the Academy. They are filed according to the entrepreneurs (individuals or companies) which played the role of intermediaries of works of art. One should mention a crucial fact: until 1866 the rest of Italy was foreign, while the Austro-Hungarian Empire was domestic. Therefore, the flow of works of art registered in the Academy does not fully measure the amplitude of the phenomenon of art export outside Italy.

As the reader can imagine, those proposed in these lines are just a few ideas arising from the reading of the work. It is evident that there could be a thousand more. The fact remains that, as a whole, the publication emphasizes the quality standards of the work, conforming to the levels of excellence already present in the three volumes on the Eighteenth century.

NOTES

[1] For a description of the archival heritage of the Academy, it is a must to read the essay by Evelina Piera Zanon and Nadia Piazza at the beginning of the second volume.

[2] See, in this blog, the review to Alexander Auf der Heyde, For the ''Future of Art in Italy": Pietro Selvatico and the Aesthetics Applied to the Drawing Arts in the XIX Century.

[3] I would like to refer to Giovanni Mazzaferro, The Fine Arts in Venice in the Manuscripts of Pietro and Giovanni Edwards, p. 174.