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Redalyc.EL FUTURISMO ESOTÉRICO DE GIACOMO BALLA Quintana. Revista de Estudos do Departamento de Historia da Arte ISSN: 1579-7414 [email protected] Universidade de Santiago de Compostela España Sarriugarte Gómez, Iñigo EL FUTURISMO ESOTÉRICO DE GIACOMO BALLA Quintana. Revista de Estudos do Departamento de Historia da Arte, núm. 8, 2009, pp. 231-243 Universidade de Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela, España Disponible en: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=65323979013 Cómo citar el artículo Número completo Sistema de Información Científica Más información del artículo Red de Revistas Científicas de América Latina, el Caribe, España y Portugal Página de la revista en redalyc.org Proyecto académico sin fines de lucro, desarrollado bajo la iniciativa de acceso abierto EL FUTURISMO ESOTÉRICO DE GIACOMO BALLA Data recepción: 2009-04-22 Iñigo Sarriugarte Gómez Data aceptación: 2009-07-23 Universidad del País Vasco/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea Contacto autor: [email protected] RESUMEN Dentro de los diferentes estudios teóricos que desarrolla el futurista italiano Giacomo Balla, se aprecia un nota - ble interés por toda una serie de tratados teosóficos y manuales relacionados con las artes herméticas, desde postulados alquímicos hasta los trabajos más científicos de Giulio Belfiore y Armando Pappalardo. Igualmente, a partir de su relación con diversos masones, como el político Ernesto Nathan, y artistas interesados en este campo, como los hermanos Ginanni Corradini, Anton Giulio Bragaglia y el pintor Julius Evola, conforma un corpus rela - cionado con las ciencias ocultistas, que empezarán a materializarse en trabajos como Transformaciones , Com - penetraciones iridiscentes pintadas y una de sus obras cumbres Scienza contro Oscurantismo de 1920. Palabras clave: futurismo, Balla, teosofía, espiritismo, Bragaglia ABSTRACT In his various theoretical studies the Italian futurist Giacomo Balla displays considerable interest in a whole series of theosophic treatises and manuals on hermetic art, from alchemic propositions to the most scientific works of Giulio Belfiore and Armando Pappalardo. Similarly, drawing on his connections with a number of masons, such as the politician Ernesto Nathan, and artists with an interest in the field, including the Ginanni-Corradini broth - ers, Anton Giulio Bragaglia and Julius Evola, he builds up a corpus with links to occult science, which materi - alises itself in works such as Transformation , Iridescent Interpenetrations , and one of his most important paintings Scienza contro Oscurantismo of 1920. Keywords: futurism, Balla, theosophy, spiritism, Bragaglia 1. Breves apuntes biográficos adaptados al donde se dedica a pintar la ciudad de noche a tema la vez que se interesa por la problemática del Nace en Turín en 1871, ciudad de intelec - mundo obrero y los marginados. También, en tuales, como los escritores Guido Gozzano, esta ciudad, trabajará durante numerosos años Primo Levi; los científicos Rita Levi Montalcini, como ilustrador, caricaturista y retratista. Ya en Jose-Louis Lagrange y Tullio Regge; y el escultor 1899 su trabajo es incluido en la Biennale de Medardo Rosso. Además, esta ciudad viene Venecia y en la Esposizione Internazionale di marcada por un pasado en relación a las artes Belle Arti en las Galerías de la Societá degli esotéricas, siendo cuna de alquimistas, esotéri - Amatori e Cultori di Belle Arti en Roma, donde cos y espiritistas. realizará exposiciones durante diez años. En 1891, estudia en la Accademia Albertina Posteriormente, se verá relacionado con el di Belle Arti y en el Liceo Artístico de Turín, rea - futurismo, especialmente a raíz de una breve lizando su primera exposición bajo la tutela de temporada que pasa en París, donde trabaja la Sociedad Promotora de Bellas Artes de esta como ayudante del ilustrador Serafino Macchiati. misma ciudad. No obstante, comienza su carre - También, descubre in situ la fuerza potencial de ra artística en 1893 como creador de litografías, la descomposición de los colores y las formas a trasladándose durante su juventud a Roma, través de la luz impresionista; así como la técnica QUINTANA Nº8 2009. ISSN 1579-7414. pp. 231-243 232 El futurismo esotérico de Giacomo Balla z divisionista, que en 1903 enseñará a Boccioni y realizar por entonces y los estudios filosóficos de e m Severini. Pero será en 1909 cuando encuentre la carácter esotérico y alquimista. De hecho, duran - ó confirmación de todas sus ideas en la literatura te su estancia en Roma, entra en el círculo de G 3 e futurista del poeta Marinetti. amistades de un destacado masón y político, lla - t r mado Ernesto Nathan 4 (1845-1921). Este famoso a Durante el siguiente año, participa en el g “Manifiesto de los pintores futuristas”, junto masón había nacido en Londres, pasando su u i r r con Boccioni, Russolo, Bonzagni, Romani y Seve - juventud en Florencia, Lugano, Milán y Cerdeña, a S rino, así como en el “Manifiesto Técnico de la donde tuvo que administrar una pequeña explo - o pintura futurista”, junto a Severini, Boccioni, tación de algodón. Desde su juventud, se había g i sentido atraído al igual que su madre por las ñ Luigi Russolo y Carlo Carrá, aunque no realizará I exposiciones con este grupo hasta 1913. En ideas revolucionarias de Giuseppe Mazzini, lo estos textos, se reclaman el compromiso y la que marcaría sus posteriores planteamientos polí - identificación del artista y el espectador con el ticos. Será a partir de 1887, iniciado por Adrian carácter y las peculiaridades de la vida moderna, Lemmi, cuando entra en la logia masónica, obte - que se podía encontrar en todos aquellos meca - niendo en febrero de 1888 la nacionalidad italia - nismos relacionados con la última tecnología. En na, lo que ya le inclina a la actividad política 5, que 1914, realiza el manifiesto “La prenda masculina había sido desde siempre su pasión. Posterior - futurista”, con la elaboración de sus primeras mente, será nombrado alcalde 6 de Roma desde composiciones tipográficas y el diseño y pintado noviembre de 1907 a diciembre de 1913, perio - de mobiliario futurista. Posteriormente, con For - do en el que su relación con Giacomo Balla se tunato Depero plantea la creación de esculturas estrecha. abstractas cinéticas, llegando a conformar una Desde un principio, Giacomo Balla se había serie de escenografías para una obra de Stra - sentido atraído por Nathan, gracias a sus altos vinsky, que Diaghilev 1 monta en Roma. conocimientos ocultistas y la aplicación de los En 1915, con Depero realiza el Manifiesto diferentes postulados masónicos en el campo “Reconstrucción futurista del universo”, que de la política. Desde siempre, la casa de Nathan como bien indica Javier San Martín “este mani - fue un centro neurálgico para escritores, artistas fiesto, así como las diferentes prácticas que pro - y políticos de la época, donde destacaron el pició, está considerado como uno de los puntos poeta anticlerical Giosué Carducci, que sería el de partida de la renovación generacional y primer italiano en ganar el Premio Nobel de Lite - estratégica del futurismo italiano a mediados de ratura en 1906, así como el político Francesco la década de los 10” 2. Crispi. También, dentro de este ambiente se Sus primeras obras, como “Interpenetracio - movería el propio Balla. Entre los diferentes nes Iridiscentes” y “Líneas de Velocidad” supu - retratos (los esposos Righetti, la familia Carelli) sieron un fuerte impulso para el futurismo. Por que realizó Balla, destaca especialmente el que este motivo, se le considera una de las figuras le realiza a Ernesto Nathan en 1910 (Fig. 1). claves de este movimiento vanguardista, del cual También, Giacomo Balla había compartido se desvinculará totalmente a partir de 1930, estrechos debates e intercambio de información retomando temas pre-futuristas, como vistas de con los hermanos Arnaldo Ginanni Corradini ciudades, paisajes y retratos. Su pintura pierde la (1890-1982), conocido como “Ginna” y Bruno inicial capacidad experimental, pero ahora su Ginanni Corradini (1892-1976), como “Corra”. objetivo es desvincularse del futurismo en clara Ambos habían nacido en Ravena en una familia connotación ideológica con el fascismo. Final - aristócrata. Ya de muy jóvenes comenzaron a mente, fallecerá en 1958 en Roma. cultivar la poesía y la pintura, tomando partido rápidamente en el debate de la época en torno 2. Conexiones con el esoterismo italiano a tradición-modernidad. La faceta de Arnaldo Las primeras experiencias abstractas en el siempre se relacionará más con la pintura, mien - campo pictórico se desarrollan en Roma en clara tras que la de Bruno con la literatura. La amis - conexión con el futurismo. Se produce una cone - tad de estos dos hermanos con Marinetti y Balla xión entre la búsqueda abstracta que empieza a les permitió en 1914 adentrarse en el futurismo QUINTANA Nº8 2009. ISSN 1579-7414. pp. 231-243 El futurismo esotérico de Giacomo Balla 233 las de aventuras “Il Passatore” de 1929. Por z e otra parte, Arnaldo continuó realizando pro - m puestas pictóricas de carácter abstracto-ocultis - ó G ta, colaborando con numerosas figuras del arte e t y la cinematografía. r a Ambos hermanos trabajaron en Milán y Flo - g u i r rencia. De hecho, la capital de la Toscana, Flo - r a rencia, fue considerada uno de los principales S centros ocultistas de Italia. En esta ciudad, se o g i funda durante aquellos años una biblioteca en la ñ Sociedad Teosófica, teniendo acceso estos dos I hermanos a sus fondos, lo que les permitió ampliar sus conocimientos herméticos. En este sentido, Ginna siempre se consideró un ocultis - ta, como lo demuestra su pintura abstracta, rea - lizando trabajos punteros al igual que lo estaban Fig. 1. G. Balla, Retrato de Ernesto Nathan , 1910, óleo sobre tela. siendo los de Julius Evola y Anton Giulio Braga - glia. Destacan sus trabajos “Nevarastenia” de 1908 y “Diavolo tra le fiamme” de 1930. Su actividad literaria comienza a temprana edad, de hecho, a principios del siglo XX, reali - y realizar en 1916 la película “La Vida futuris - zan dos libretos de tono radical con los títulos ta”, actualmente perdida.
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