michelangelo antonioni's film l'eclisse, 1962 and italian fascist architecture.
l'eclisse was antonioni's last film from the trilogy on modern malaise (or the 3rd part of a tetralogy that includes the red desert, 1964), and stars alain delon and monica vitti.
this post looks at how antonioni photographed rome so beautifully in l'eclisse (and also the fascist town in l'avventura) and its relation to fascist architecture.
the majority of l'eclisse was filmed in the eur district of rome.
eur seen in l'eclissethe eur (acronym of esposizione universale roma) was a new suburb intended for a universal exhibition celebrating fascist italy. it was planned in the 1930s and scheduled for 1942 but abandoned at the beginning of the war. the plan was by architect marcello piacentini, and only some of the work was carried out. the area chosen for the eur was about three miles south of the walls, near the river and the road to ostia. after the war, work continued there in a modernist style, including the palazzo dello sport (1958-60) by pier luigi nervi and annibale vitellozzi.
pier luigi nervi, palazzo dello sport, 1958-1960, eur romesome of the more notable fascist architects were: giuseppe terragni, luigi moretti (architect of the watergate complex), figini & pollini, franco albini, adalberto libera (& malaparte), ernesto b. la padula, angiolo mazzoni, giuseppe pagano, pietro lombardi, giuseppe vaccaro, marcello piacentini, giovanni muzio, giovanni michelucci, ignazio gardella.
buildings in the eur, and related italian modernist architecture:
ernesto b. la padula, giovanni guerrini and mario romano, palazzo dealla civilta italiana, 1942, eur rome.
marcello piacentini, citta universitaria, 1932-35, eur rome
marcello piacentini, perspective drawing, 1938-1941, italy
pier luigi nervi, palace of water and light, perspective drawing, 1938, italy
adalberto libera, auditorium, perspective with statue, 1935, rome
adalberto libera (& malaparte), casa malaparte (lagerfeld photo) 1938-40 capri
luigi moretti, casa il girasole, via bruno buozzi, 1947-1950, roma
luigi moretti, commemorative chapel, 1940, rome
giuseppi terragni, casa del fascio, 1936, como
franco albini, la rinascente, 1957-61, rome
giuseppe vaccaro, palazzo delle poste e telegrafi, 1931-36, napoli
books (& articles) on antonioni:
-antonioni, by ian cameron & robin wood, praeger.
-seeing and nothingness, by j. hoberman, villiage voice.
-antonioni, or, the surface of the world, by seymour chatman, univ. of california press.
-the films of michelangelo antonioni, by peter brunette, cambridge univ. press.
-a vigilance of desire: antonioni's l'eclisse, by jonathan rosenbaum (found in the criterion dvd of l'eclisse).
books on fascist architects:
-franco albini: architecture and design, by stephen leet, princeton arch. press.
-franco albini: 1905 - 1977, by antonio piva and vittorio prinaelecta, electa.
-franco albini: zero gravity - costruire le modernita, by fulvio irace, electa.
-luigi figini/ gino pollini: opera completa, by vittorio gregotti and giovanni marzari, electa.
-ignazio gardella architetto 1905-1997: costruire le modernita, electa.
-adalberto libera: opera completa, electa.
-adalberto libera, by francesco garofalo and luca veresani, princeton arch. press.
-adalberto libera: de l'apres-guerre, centre georges pompidou.
-casa malaparte, by marida talmona, princeton arch. press.
-casa malaparte, by karl lagerfeld, steidl
-malaparte: a house like me, clarkson potter.
-pietro lombardi, architetto, by roberto luciani, officina edizioni.
-angiolo mazzoni (1894-1979): architetto ingegnere del ministero delle comunicazioni, by gabriella belli, skira.
-giovanni michelucci: 1891-1990, by claudia conforti, electa.
-luigi moretti : works and writings, by federico bucci, princeton arch. press.
-giovani muzio 1893-1982: opere, by fulvio irace, electa.
-muzio: l'architettura di giovanni muzio, editrice abitare segesta.
-ernesto b. la padula. opere e scritti, 1930-49, cluva.
-giuseppe pagano, by carlo melograni, il balcone.
-marcello piacentini: opere, 1903 - 1926, by arianna sara de rose, rranco cosimo panini.
-le opere maestre di marcello piacentini, by mario pisani, clear.
-guiseppe terragni, by bruno zevi, triangle architectural books.
-surface and symbol: giuseppe terragni and the italian rationalist movement, by thomas schumacher, princeton arch. press.
-the danteum: a study in the architecture of literature, by thomas schumacher, princeton arch. press.
-giuseppe terragni 1904-1943, by thomas schumacher, electa.
-giuseppe terragni: opera completa, electa.
-giuseppe terragni: transformations, decompositions, critiques, py peter Eisenman, monacelli.
-global architecture 74: giuseppe terragni, ga international.
-the terragni atlas: built architecture, skira.
-giuseppe terragni: opera completa 1925-1943, by ada francesca marciano, officina edizioni.
-giuseppe vaccaro, by marco mulazzani, electa.
-giuseppe vaccaro: architetture per bologna, by maristella casciato and giuliano gresleri, editrice compositori.
books on pier luigi nervi:
-aesthetics and technology in building, by pier luigi nervi, harvard univ. press.
-the works of pier luigi nervi, by ernesto rogers, praeger.
-pier luigi nervi: space and structural integrity, associated arts foundation.
-structures, by pier luigi nervi, f. w. dodge.
general books on modern architecture in italy:
-modernism in italian architecture 1890-1940, by richard etlin, mit.
-architettura e fascismo, by carlo cresti, vallecchi editore.
-the monumental era: european architecture and design 1929-1939, by franco borsi, lund humphries.
-italy builds. l'italia costruisce, by kidder smith, reinhold.
-the architecture of modern italy. visions of utopia, 1900-present, by terry kirk, princeton arch. press.
-architetti italiani 1930-1990, by marcello rebecchini, officina.
books on film & architecture (a partial list, none very interesting):
-architecture and film, princeton arch. press with the essay the consuming landscape: architecture in the films of michelangelo antonioni by mitchell schwarzer.
-zoomscape: architecture in motion and media, by mitchell schwarzer, princeton arch. press.
-cinematic urbanism: a history of the modern from reel to real, routledge.
-the architecture of image: existential space in cinema, by juhani pallasmaa, the finnish building ctr. (includes essay on the passenger).
carlo scarpa (later than the fascists, more on him in a later the art of memory)