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A piece of cult
Written by: Nataša Bodrožiæ
Mariano Fortuny Y Madrazo: FORTUNY 1907
“Fortuny” Forever
Besides painting and working with textile, Fortuny experimented by using electric light in
scene design. That brought to the design of lamp “Fortuny”, which was created after a
stage light in the theatre that enabled the lighting on the stage to be changed effortlessly,
ranging from the daylight of the clear sky to eclipse and dusk
Mariano Fortuny Y Madrazo (1871. – 1949.), one
of the most versatile artists of the late 19th and
early 20th century, designer of clothes, textiles
and lighting, photographer, architect, inventor,
born in Granada, educated in Paris and spent most
of his life in Venice, has left a huge mark on his era with his
work. He dressed the greatest ladies of his time, put lighting
on the most important stages, cooperated with the
greatest writers and created one of the most beautiful
lamps, which was named “Fortuny” after its creator.
Artistic Family
Mariano Fortuny comes from an artistic family; his father
was a famous Spanish painter, while his mother’s art-favourable
family has permanently supported the wellknown
Prado Museum in Madrid. Fortuny belongs to the
“art nouveau” circle of artists, along with Tiffany, Lalique
and the pre-Raphaelite painters. Although he graduated
as a painter in Paris, he left his biggest mark in history by
designing clothes and textile, inspired by the Classical Period
and the Orient. He discovered the special technique
of colouring silk, but he also constructed and patented
machines that produced fabric with prints, reproducing
the depth, colouring and beauty of an archaic brocade,
velvet and tapestry.
At the very beginning of the 20th century, Fortuny was
attracted to new styles in textile design and fashion, as
well as the new aesthetical and functional concepts
that were promoted by reformers of new applied types
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of art, such as the English designer William Morris and
painter E. Burne Jones, and particularly by their theories
on the modern style that is liberated from all prohibitions
and conventions. Soon enough, he also becomes one of
those artists who subtly start changing the world with his
talent, inventiveness and broadness of spirit.
Entering the World of Fashion
Fortuny enters the world of fashion in 1907. That was the
year he designed his most spectacular “art nouveau”
dress “Delfi”, made from fluted silk and inspired by an
antique Greek sculpture. A long, very simple and light
dress, it sensually adhered to the body and allowed the
freedom of movement. Featuring a revolutionary shape,
slightly arty, discretely seductive, but predominantly functional,
the dress usually ended with Venetian coloured
beads at the edges. Marcel Proust himself, impressed
with its beauty, wondered in one of his texts about the
specialty of such a clothing piece. Doubting whether to
acknowledge its value due to the exceptional historical
role model or its pure uniqueness, the French writer slightly
sensed the individualistic fashion style of the 20th century
that was emerging on the horizon.
Models of Fortuny’s silken dresses were worn by the icons
of that era, such as Sara Berhnard, Eleonora Duse and
Isadora Duncan, while the great American director Orson
Welles had the costumes for his film “Othello” made
from his recognizable fabrics. These days, Fortuny’s models
are extremely valuable collector’s items, and his work