The Journal of Decorative and Propaganda Arts - UCLA Department ...
The Journal of Decorative and Propaganda Arts - UCLA Department ...
The Journal of Decorative and Propaganda Arts - UCLA Department ...
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
Ff,$fb-lrr*rn:<br />
mti.|tS'L!rril'.<br />
I DAnArmf{Erls/<br />
tnterpre dreenigmatic irnryr as foltroml "Fhre<br />
fingers, firrc siris." D'Annunzb<br />
apparent$ excluM frcm the list <strong>of</strong> carditsl sins dme <strong>of</strong> lust ard gfeed<br />
&r the ceiling trang$-dte ned st<strong>and</strong>ard <strong>of</strong> Fiurne. On one side <strong>of</strong> &e upesry,<br />
against a comer <strong>of</strong> ttre wall, are arralsed casr <strong>of</strong> Pradteles' Ha'ms (wlcm<br />
"ardrogprcus<br />
form" is praised in the nintlr soaloo <strong>of</strong> dre "Iaus Yitae" as an ab'<br />
solure sthetic iful) <strong>and</strong> *p heads <strong>of</strong> Phidtg lmrses. D'Annunzto sunmarized<br />
drc rneaning <strong>and</strong> frrncrton <strong>of</strong> this room in *re fotlosdnganry:<br />
"t<br />
harrc nourished<br />
myself onsomudrwarlike sensuality, somuctt penerse pleamrg scr<br />
much lmpurc inugirutlon. . . . A $hon while ago, in dre "Room<br />
<strong>of</strong> Relics,"<br />
amidse tlre satnts <strong>and</strong>the iffs, amongrtthe lnrages <strong>of</strong>aneryreligioa;surrounH<br />
by all theappearances <strong>of</strong>the Divine,I was atrnoetoerutteheaUy<br />
the lyric force <strong>of</strong> rry rellgious Emth€$is. . . . f,ry ernacJad chest is tnftnttely<br />
anlerysd by an lnfinite sense <strong>of</strong> religious desire over the centurter <strong>and</strong> the<br />
millennta" (710).<br />
ToBE{her with lvtamni, D'A$nunzio had a serieo <strong>of</strong> strucnrral dterclons mde<br />
to the Frlory On the sordrmt side <strong>of</strong> the house he added tlrc trqpe"Fidally<br />
shaped room called the "lrper's Room," completed in 1925 (fig. 4). Thls room<br />
is dmlinated by a sixeen*r.cer*ury polychrome wooden statue <strong>of</strong> Su Sebaslarl<br />
ttre privileged archetype <strong>of</strong> ttr€ "ec.etatic"<br />
decedcnt es*retic ard ptoggonist<br />
<strong>of</strong> D'Annunzio's *reatric'el c6rk set to music by Debussy ln 1911. It is e ro<strong>of</strong>ii<br />
&rctedto tre mntenplation <strong>of</strong> thedec*y<strong>of</strong>drebody,<strong>and</strong><strong>of</strong> deadr imlf, wo<br />
hnporant *temes for &e "roctufnel" D'fuinunzio; the roomqas used bry<br />
D'Annunzio fpr his "spiriural exercises," <strong>and</strong> later for his cnpn flake olrcr *te<br />
bed "<strong>of</strong> dre npo ages"*in the combined foam <strong>of</strong> a cradle erd a mtrin-hangs<br />
a paintirg by Cadorin depiaing Sr Fancis embracing the "leper" D'Annundo.
Change language