DANDYISM IN ITALY Past and Present INTRODUCTION Dandyism in general, refers to a man who is particularly refined and takes a priority on his physical appearance. However, many argues that the meaning of dandyism is beyond the immaculate physical appearances. Dandyism is a study of elegance, sophistication and refinery that is reflected not just through what one wears, but through one’s act as well. A dandy was frequently associated with being an aristocrats, but during the late 18th century, many of the dandies were middle class men imitating the lifestyle of the aristocrats. The English are the pioneers of Dandyism, with the icon being George Beau Brummel. However in the world of today, the Italians are always praised for their distinctive, fashionable style and are always associated with the idea of dandyism. In fact, dandyism is more frequently associated with Italian men today as compared to the English men. I find this truly fascinating and thus, this essay is to explore the history of Italian Dandyism, what brings it to the fame it enjoys today and what is the difference between dandyism in the past and present. HISTORY OF DANDYISM Historically, …show more content…
However, Dandyism does not seem changes regardless of how long was the gap between the past and the present. Dandyism itself, is a celebration of refinery and a sophistication of a man. It was and still is, a way to express one’s self. The idea of Dandyism, is timeless. Even when the structure or design of menswear changes, dandyism will still exist and stays true to its meaning. Moreover, between the style of Gabriele D’annunzio and the style of Robert Mararo, there was no significant difference except for the fact that Gabriele possessed a more classic style whilst Mararo is bolder and more experimental. I think it is arguable that menswear hardly changes ever since the 1900s and this resulted to how Dandyism in the 1900s is similar to what it is
He has a typical upper class Englishmen personality of the time in which satire was used many times. His extravagance, nonsense, irresponsibility are all qualities that make one laugh at his careless personality. He throws expensive parties, even though he is in a state of being in debt. As Lady Bracknell points out, “he has nothing but his debts to depend upon.” A great example of satire is when Jack tries to force Algernon to leave his estate.
The names of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are familiar to everyone’s inner child: Michelangelo, Raphael, Donatello, and Leonardo. However, the actual people after whom the ninjas are named were resplendent artists of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and each of these men had a profound effect on the trajectory of art. During the Renaissance (late 1400s-1600s), an era of society emerging towards a new way of considering the world through artistic study, the marvelous coalition of citizens that is the public was propelled out of the philosophical oppression of the Middle Ages. Moreover, this served as a pivotal time not only for traditional art, but for free and open thought in general. Because of the Renaissance 's lasting influences and the grandeur of change it commenced, it will remain embedded in history for so long as the human race continues to exist. In this period of transcendence, Greco-Roman culture and philosophy saw its return, the Catholic Church suffered a decline, art revolutionized itself, and academia returned to antiquity.
What was the Renaissance and why did it happen? Italian life in the 14th and 15th centuries was lived among the vast ruins of the ancient Roman Empire. The cruelty and barbarism of Rome
While defining the term “Bunburyist,” Algernon comments to Jack that, “If it wasn’t for Bunbury’s extraordinary bad health [. . .] I wouldn’t be able to dine with you at Willis’s to-night” (Wilde 9). Bunbury, Algernon’s fake sick friend, allows him to be himself and enjoy time with his friends instead of entertaining his aunt. Algernon tells Jack that he created Bunbury to “be able to go down into the country whenever [he] choose[s]” (Wilde 9). Being of his high standing, Algernon was expected to stay in the city with his aunt as well as go to balls, dinner parties and other events on the social calendar; however, having a sick friend with a perpetual sickness allows him to go to the country, pretend to be Earnest, and eventually meet his future wife Cecily. When Jack tries to get Algy to leave Hertfordshire by asserting that his “duty as a gentleman” was calling him back to town, Algy responds with, “My duty as a gentleman has never interfered with my pleasures” (Wilde 33) Because of his fake friend Bunbury, Algernon is able to evade the obligations of being a gentleman. He can enjoy life and have fun without offending his aunt or
For monarchies and oligarchies, the revival transformations in the fashions of art, over and above the attitude of artists, required affluent clientele to maintain and endorse it, and Italy was in
The life of the Victorian people was a time in which people were prude because of their repression. Many of the people of that time had a lot of pent-up emotions, there was a time and a place for something and it solemn did any good for anyone, depending on your class you had to have a curtain way of carrying yourself, many of which was not the must enjoyable of ways and lacked some fun that many need in their life. This forced many to split their Public life from the Private one. Written in the Victorian Era, the works of The importance of being earnest by Oscar Wilde, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson ,and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley displays how
The Renaissance, a term coined by Giorgio Vasari in 1550 , is used to describe the period of cultural and intellectual change which started in Italy and then spread across the rest of Europe. This development in society led to Europe stepping out of the medieval era and becoming a powerhouse on a global scale. The Italian Renaissance is what the majority of people think of when thinking about the Renaissance period but that was just the starting point. The Italian Renaissance changed as it spread across Europe, creating a French Renaissance, an English Renaissance and a Northern Renaissance. The focus of this essay is the Northern Renaissance, discussing why it arrived later to northern Europe and what distinguishes it from the Italian Renaissance.
The Italian and Northern Europe Renaissances were both an important mark in history by changing the ideals of life, thought, culture, and art of the people’s of this time. In this paper I will explain the motive for change in these cultures, including the similarities and differences of the two cultures.
A strong element related to the decadent movement is the dandyism, the social phenomenon, meaning a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance, refined language, and leisurely hobbies, pursued with the appearance of nonchalance in a cult of Self.[5] A first determination of dandyism is shown when old Lord Fermor says to his nephew Henry Wotton "Well, Harry, what brings you out so early? I thought you dandies never got up till two, and were not visible till five." [6] Lord Henry Wotton is fully a dandy, most of the qualities found at him. His modality of choosing the people he comes into strengthens the claim that Henry is a dandy, " I choose my
After the long and cold effects the Middle Ages had on most of Europe, during the very beginning of the renaissance people began to wonder why they should let the Catholic Church control their lives. A sense of free thinking and enlightenment became part of every thinker’s mind after the Catholic Church began to lose influence over the state. A weakened catholic church meant that the state was allowed to do whatever they thought was right and what was necessary. The people of Italy experience something that they could not do when the church was in power; they could now experiment with what was considered taboo or banned by the church, especially since the papacy had moved to France. The people of Italy thought of themselves as the descendants of the great, now fallen, Roman Empire. They thought that they should keep the legacy of the romans alive and continuous. Scholars found old Greek dramas and brought them to Italy where they would get into theatre production. People wanted to understand the works of the past; the plays of the classical era such as Greek dramas and Aristotle. This idea then spread all over Europe.
The eighteenth century marked a period of renewal within Italy. This transition saw the acceptance of new philosophies that were rampant throughout most of Europe (Yawney 2). The Age of Enlightenment, as it has come to be known, brought upon changes within the realms of economic, social, and religious affairs. However, amidst any form of radical change come those who do not attest to it. In his fable, The Green Bird, Venetian dramatist Carlo Gozzi incorporates subject matter that attacks not only the realism seen in Carlo Goldoni’s theatre but also the thought of modern Enlightenment ideology.
Although the origins of the Italian Renaissance can be traced to many different locations, it is important to note that different aspects of Italian culture and society remained largely medieval during the time of the Renaissance; the Renaissance did not come into full swing until the end of the century. The word Renaissance means “rebirth”, and the era is best known for the renewed interest in the culture of classical antiquity (Greece and Rome) after the period that Renaissance humanists labeled the Dark Ages. These changes, while significant, were concentrated in the elite, and for the vast majority of the population life was little changed from the Middle Ages.
The Renaissance and Baroque era entailed very different characteristics, due to the Renaissance composers writing more freely and being more individual then those of the Baroque era where they followed more ‘rules’ and experimented less. This essay will show the difference in two pieces by different composers, even though they were written less than a century apart.
Many of us today have things in our culture that we appreciate without thinking about where they have come from. The things we enjoy so much could be from another culture, and even another place in time. This document will explore the influence of Italian Renaissance art on today's civilization, which has greatly changed the art of today.
In Wilde's opinion Victorians who want to retain the respect of the conventional society lead double life- one respectable and one frivolous. He creates a world in which the laws of the society have no power and the double life can be revealed. Bunburyism is a way of life which offers relief from the restrictive social norms.