Page 33 - Studio International - July August 1975

Like Prampolini and Depero 3, he was back to this point in relation to the Bragaglia began by underlining that
born just long enough after Boccioni and manifesto, but in effect the difference is his Photodynamism, unlike Marey's
the others to have assimilated technology that while the futurist painters were chronophotography, was not merely an
in practice as well as in theory — he would principally concerned with the innovation applicable to photography,
no doubt have preferred to die in a car phenomenon of movement, Bragaglia but a new art with ideals quite unique in
crash than by Boccioni's legendary fall was more concerned with the aura : the spectrum of existing representational
from a horse. Bragaglia was looking for a `When a person gets up, the chair is still means. He claimed that the only common
modern means to express his concept full of his soul ... ground between Photodynamism,
of the new dynamism of life, while the Photodynamism first appears in 1911 chronophotography and cinematography
original generation of Futurists, who and this is the year that Bragaglia claims was their dependence on the physical
were after all painters, tended, relatively as the writing date of the manifesto, properties of the camera. Above all he
speaking, to search for new uses of though no record of it appears until the wished to disassociate himself from the
traditional means with the emphasis on advertisement in Lacerba over two years limiting notion of the precise
modern subject-matter. While later. But in 1911 he certainly did lecture reconstruction of movement : 'We are
Marinetti, ever eager, was certainly glad on the subject in outposts of the futurist certainly not concerned with the aims
to finance Bragaglia's researches into world like Civitavecchia, and in the same and characteristics of cinematography
developing photographic methods of year he produced a series of postcards and chronophotography. We are not
capturing the essence of movement, for presenting the photodynamist images in interested in the precise reconstruction
Boccioni such efforts remained purely movement of which the manifesto of movement, which has already been
technical matters rather than art. And speaks : images printed in burnt sienna. broken up and analysed. We are involved
Boccioni even went so far as to write to It was at this time that Marinetti started only in the area of movement which
the Futurists' gallerist Sprovieri to give him financial assistance', and produces sensation, the memory of
recommending 'in the name of the from now on he was also to show an which still palpitates in our awareness'.
Futurist friends that you exclude all entrepreneur's interest in magazines This awareness obviously echoed other
contact with Bragaglia's photodynamism, and publications of all kinds, founding futurist manifestos, and it is not until
a presumptuous useless effort which many himself and contributing to even towards the end of the tract that the
damages our aspirations to the liberation more. The first was L'Artista, an different approaches are made explicit.
of schematic or successive reproduction illustrated bimonthly on theatre and art, It was the precise nature of photography
of motion'. Though at the bottom of the of which he was editor. that Bragaglia attacked, the 'glacial
letter he added: 'Keep what I say to A year later he concerned himself with reproduction of reality' which he saw
yourself because I like him personally'. an urgent problem: the question of as harmful, jeopardizing the status of
By all accounts Bragaglia was an odd whether photography can reach the photography and subjugating it to
and fascinating personality. He was born heights of art. His researches brought painting. Similarly he disapproved of the
in 1890 and died in 1960.4 His father was him into contact with the least suitable mechanical arbritrariness of movement
a pioneer of the Italian film industry, and artists — he canvassed the opinion of in cinematography, particularly of the
at the age of sixteen the young Bragaglia `official' painters and sculptors like way, in contrast with the smooth
joined him as assistant producer. The Aristide Sartorio and Ernesto Biondi — transitions of his own technique, it
film production company of which his and their answers were inevitably and shattered rhythm, which for him was
father was director was called Cines, and emphatically negative.6 infinite and universal.
it was surprisingly prolific. From 1908-10 In 1912 he held an exhibition of He was even more critical of Marey :
they produced 134 short films, 36 Futurist Photodynamism in the Sala `Marey's chronophotography too,
documentaries and 57 funnies, none of Pichetti in Rome, and this was being a form of cinematography carried
which has gone down as an historic introduced by Marinetti. It is not out on a single plate or on a continuous
masterpiece. In 1910 Bragaglia turned surprising that Futurism's entrepreneur strip of film, even if it does not use
to the development of new photographic should have been more concerned to frames to divide movement which is
techniques together with his brother widen the scope of his movement than already scanned and broken up into
Arturo, who later disappears from the the painters, but even then it is instantaneous shots, still shatters the
picture. But the development of the art noticeable that when Bragaglia was action'. This he found inadequate, even
of photography was not his only invited to participate in the Grand for the simple analysis of movement:
interest, at this or any other time. He Futurist Evenings, it was only in the `Marey's system is used for example in the
seems to have been a compulsive dabbler far-flung regions — Sicily or Naples or teaching of gymnastics. And out of the
in ideas, particularly in those verging on minor centres like Gubbio — and hundred images that trace a man's jump
the occult. This speculative, and indeed presumably when Boccioni was not the few that are registered are just
spiritual, side of his nature was another present. sufficient to describe and to teach to the
characteristic that distinguished him The 'Manifesto of Futurist young the principal stages of a jump'.
from the more matter-of-fact group he Photodynainism" was understandably That might have been sufficient for
would have liked to have joined. Here it defensive, and Bragaglia obviously felt it Marey, but not for the photodynamist:
should be said that Boccioni, Balla and, necessary to overstate his case. He went `with about five extremely rigid
particularly, Russolo (who later turned to great lengths to explain what he was instantaneous shots we cannot obtain
to philosophy anyway) all had some not trying to do, and to disassociate even the reconstruction of movement, let
degree of interest in the occult, but it was his photodynamic ideals from the alone the sensation'. The action is
secondary to their painting and kept techniques of straightforward seized and frozen in its principal stages,
separate from their public posturing. In photography, from Marey's and this could equally well be achieved
the case of Bragaglia it pervades chronophotography and from with a series of instantaneous
everything, including his manifesto. cinematography. He gave a detailed if photographs. 'To put it crudely,
The extension of Bragaglia's interest slightly confused discourse on what he chronophotography could be compared
in the occult into the study of a spectrum understood by movement, rhythm, to a clock on the face of which only the
ranging from witchcraft to the more reality, dematerialisation, and the half-hours are marked, cinematography
doubtful kinds of archaeology coincided synthesis that he considered to be an to one on which the minutes too are
with his adherence to Futurism at the essential characteristic of true art, indicated, and Photodynamism to a
peak moment of the group's activity. It is reinforced by historical examples to third on which are marked not only the
this spiritual aspect that makes his use of prove that only through Photodynainism seconds but also the intermovemental
apparently futurist vocabulary so could such a modern synthesis be fractions existing in the passages between
ambiguous. He adopted it in the achieved. The Manifesto was written in seconds. This becomes an almost
`Manifesto of Futurist Photodynamism' the second person plural, to suggest infinitesimal calculation of movement.'
to give it the public panache that was futurist solidarity and perhaps as a He added with a touch of paranoia that
Marinetti's forte, but Bragaglia's recognition of the interest of other only those with a certain degree of
understanding even of basic words like people like Giannetto Bisi who was to elegant malice could confuse his results
material, light and movement was produce the photodynamic portrait of with those of Marey, since the proof was
fundamentally different. We will come Boccioni around 1915. there in his latest works : Carpenter
13