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Monday, February 28, 2022

The Venice Carnival and a Brief History of Masks

Il Ridotto (The Foyer) by Francesco Guardi (1755)

(Venice, Italy) A sleek, black gondola glides up the Grand Canal and docks in front of a 15th century Gothic palace blazing with candles. A masked nobleman wearing a tricorn hat steps out and offers his hand to his companion, also masked, draped in gold finery. The couple strides through space and time into a sumptuous world that once existed, and, if you step through the right portal, still exists in Venice today. 

In a city where there seems to be a mask shop on every corner, it may be surprising to learn that the ancient Venetian craft of mask making was only revived about forty years ago. During the political terrorism of the Years of Lead starting in the late 60s, the wearing of masks was discouraged, and Carnival limited to schoolchildren and private celebrations.

Mask making in Venice can be documented back to the 13th century, though it probably existed much earlier. On April 10, 1436, the ancient profession of mascareri was founded under the jurisdiction of the Painter's Guild. Over the years, masks were used for a variety of reasons -- in the government, the theater, and as a means of disguise. Masks provided the Venetians a degree of anonymity.

As far back as the 11th century, the mattaccino costume was worn by mischievous young men, who, dressed as clowns, would bombard noblewomen with eggs filled with rosewater, inspiring the first official documentation regarding masks: a 1268 law prohibiting the throwing of eggs while disguised. The Venetian government apparently gave up trying to enforce it, however, and resorted to putting up nets along the Procuratie in St. Mark's Square to protect the ladies and their rich clothing.

Venice Carnival 2022 - Photo: Cat Bauer
The wearing of a mask put everyone on the same level: rich and poor, nobleman and citizen, beautiful and ordinary, old and young. It permitted confidences to be exchanged anonymously -- everything from accusations before State Inquisitors, to a potpourri of sexual indiscretions. Prostitutes practiced their trade without fear of retribution; homosexuals hid their illicit lifestyle. In 1458, it was decreed that men were forbidden to dress up as women and enter convents to commit indecent acts.

Over the years, Carnival festivities grew more decadent until it evolved into a 250-day event of non-stop parties, gambling and dancing. Social and class distinctions were flipped on their heads, with servants dressing up as masters and vice versa. It was difficult to distinguish a housewife wearing a traditional mask, cape, hood and three corner hat from a nobleman dressed in the same outfit, allowing both to move freely though the city without fear of recognition.

Not all masks were used for indelicacies, however. The bauta was worn by both men and women, and was not considered a costume but a form of dress -- required wearing if a woman wanted to go to the theater. 

Teatro San Cassiano, the world's first public opera house, opened in Venice with Andromeda by Francesco Manelli during Carnival 1637. It was such a hit that more theaters were built. During the theater boom of the 17th century, Venetians spontaneously started wearing masks in public, until over the decades it became a natural way of life. 

Another ingredient in this colorful mix was the Italian theater, Commedia dell'arte. In the 18th century, the renowned Venetian playwright, Carlo Goldoni, enthralled Venice with his delightfully decadent masked characters. Pantalone, Harlequin, Colombina and Pulcinella were among the many masks that found their way into the Carnival.

Masks disappeared, along with Carnival, when Napoleon's troops brought an end to the Venetian Republic in 1797. Since then, they've resurfaced and submerged again throughout the decades until being vanquished to the pages of the history books by the 20th century.

And then masks staged a spectacular comeback in the late 1970s and early 1980s when a group of young people brought them once again into the forefront.
After that authentic relaunching of the Venice Carnival in 1980, as the decades passed, the celebrations grew more and more commercialized, televised and publicized as masses of tourists swarmed into the city.

Then, on February 23, 2020, the Venice Carnival suddenly shut down two days early when three cases of Covid-19 were discovered in the city and thrust the pandemic into the media spotlight of the Western world.


Il medico della peste or "The Black Death Doctor" - Photo: Cat Bauer, Carnival 2016

The word "quarantine" is a Venetian word, and means "forty days." In 1448, the Venice Senate passed a law that required ships and crews to remain isolated outside the city during the time of the plague, which had a 37-day cycle from infection to death.

A distinct mask evolved in response to the serious pandemic that wiped out much of Venice's population on more than one occasion. Il medico della peste or "The Black Death Doctor" had a long beak-like nose stuffed with disinfectants, and, as its name implies, was used to protect doctors from the plague.

In 2021, there was no official, physical Venice Carnival due to the Covid-19 pandemic -- only digital.

Now, two years after a contemporary plague shut down the Venice Carnival without warning, and with the current pandemic hopefully on the wane, Venice has once again hitched up her skirts and is pulsing with life. Even though there are still no official events in Piazza San Marco, this year people from all over the globe arrived in Venice to celebrate a new sense of freedom. Confetti was thick as snow on Piazza San Marco and laughter lightened the air. Wearing a mask became fun again.

Then, during these last days of Carnival 2022, Russia astonishingly attacked Ukraine, adding a thick layer of darkness beneath the festivities.

My heart is with everyone who is suffering. I am against war and violence in any form and fully support harmony and diplomatic solutions. Here's hoping the Venice Carnival is back in all its glory in 2023 and that Europe and the world are at peace.


Ciao from Venezia,
Cat Bauer
Venetian Cat - The Venice Blog


Note: I have published various versions of this article on Venetian Cat - The Venice Blog throughout the years. It was first published in print on February 27, 2001 in the International Herald Tribune - Italy Daily.

It seems that unethical marketer Filippo Merlo
of Venice City Tours continues to plagiarize my article in the year 2022 to the point of obsession. even though he was blocked by Google back in 2019 -- he just changes the link and date. From Google: In response to a complaint that we received under the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act, we have removed 7 result(s) from this page. If you wish, you may read the DMCA complaint that caused the removal(s) at LumenDatabase.org.

Message to Filippo Merlo: Knock it off. Ob-la-di ob-la-da Get a life, bra.

Sunday, February 13, 2022

April in Venice - Get Ready for Homo Faber & Biennale Art 2022

Venice through a window inside the Giorgio Cini Foundation - Photo: Cat Bauer

(Venice, Italy) The Queen of the Adriatic is ready to welcome visitors. In April, Venice will be the center of the cultural universe with the openings of both the Homo Faber Event and the 59th Biennale International Art Exhibition. Not only will visitors have the opportunity to witness some of the top contemporary artists and artisans on the planet, you will also wander through ancient venues so thick with history and mystery that you can almost reach through the ether and touch the phantoms of the past.

Island of San Giorgio Maggiore

The moment you step off the boat and onto the magical island of San Giorgio Maggiore, you sense adventure in the air. The island was inhabited in ancient Roman times and called Insula Memmia after the Memmo gens, a patrilineal clan who owned property on it. It was christened the Island of San Giorgio Maggio way back in the first half of the ninth century when the first church dedicated to Saint George was built.
 
In 982, Doge Tribuno Memmo granted the island to Abbot Giovanni Morosini to found a Benedictine monastery, which is still on San Giorgio to this very day. The island grew into a prosperous spiritual and economic base, and home to the ecclesiastical sons of Venetian nobility. 
 
Throughout the centuries, and with the addition of some impressive architecture by Andrea Palladio and other masters, it swelled into a thriving center for international get-togethers. In 1951, Count Vittorio Cini transformed the island into a tribute to his son, Giorgio, who was killed in a plane crash, using his great wealth to create the Giorgio Cini Foundation and bring humanism back to mankind. The island has hosted kings, queens and heads of state -- twice it was the setting for the weighty G7 summit.

Homo Faber Event

Crafting a more human future
Living Treasures of Europe and Japan
April 10 to May 1, 2022

 
Island of San Giorgio Maggiore - Photo: courtesy Giorgio Cini Foundation

Homo Faber 2022 celebrates Japan's National Living Treasures and its rich traditional heritage throughout the grounds of the Giorgio Cini Foundation. Fifteen exhibition spaces feature 12 top craftspeople from Japan who have earned the prestigious designation of "National Living Treasures."  
 
Organized by the Michelangelo Foundation for Craftsmanship and Creativity, the international Homo Faber Event is a major cultural exhibition dedicated to master craftspeople and their work. The second edition of the Homo Faber Event opens a portal into the vibrant cultural collaboration between Europe and Japan. It's an immersive experience dedicated to virtuoso master artisans and exceptional emerging craftspeople. 
 
You'll witness a spectrum of designers, curators and artisans imprint a human touch across a rainbow of sectors -- from jewelry to automotive, fashion to flowers, porcelain to glass, theater to interior design, and much, much more. Over 400 unique works drafted by over 350 designers and artisans from over 30 countries will be on display throughout the magnificent Giorgio Cini Foundation and its grounds. 
 
Blossoming Beauty - Venini glass at Homo Faber 2022

I wrote an inspired post after attending the first Homo Faber Event in 2018, along with 62,500 other people, which you can read here:


In addition to the event on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, this year there will also be a self-guided tour called "In Città" throughout the labyrinthine calli and campi of the historic center of Venice itself. I love this idea! That means you can meet face to face the artisans who keep this city afloat by building their work on a solid foundation of ancient traditions. You can meet the soul of Venice itself.

You will be able to go digital and discover over 60 Venetian artisans, ateliers, museums and galleries by using the Homo Faber website or app. You can create your own tour or follow a suggested itinerary and be able to witness in person the craftspeople of Venice. 
 
Venezia su misura - Photo: Cat Bauer

At the press conference headed by the dynamic Alberto Cavalli, the Executive Director of the Michelangelo Foundation and general curator of Homo Faber, we were gifted with copies of a golden shopping guide called Venezia su misura, or Venice, Made to Measure. For those of us who still appreciate fine print, the beautiful guidebook is published by Gruppo Editoriale in both English and Italian, and contains descriptive passages of select Venetian artisans and their work as well as a fold-out map in the back. If you are are fortunate enough to attend Homo Faber in person, you will be able to purchase a copy in the bookshop. 

Visit the Homo Faber website for lots more information and to book your tickets.

La Biennale di Venezia

59th International Art Exhibition
The Milk of Dreams
April 23 to November 27, 2022

 
Jane Graverl, L'Ecole de la Vanité, 1967 - screenshot

On April 20, 21 and 22, smack in the middle of the Homo Faber Event, is the pre-opening of the 59th La Biennale International Art Exhibition, three days allotted to accredited visitors before the opening to the general public on April 23. Can you imagine such a thing? Venice will be galvanized by visiting adventurers following itineraries of creativity and excellence throughout April and beyond, a perfect way to welcome intrepid travelers back to the city.
 
Leonora Carrington (1917-2011) was a surrealist painter and storyteller who made up whimsical tales for her children complete with fantastical illustrations. She preserved some of her otherworldly stories in a notebook called The Milk of Dreams, which inspired Cecilia Alemani, the curator of the 2022 International Art Exhibition, to re-enchant the world with her own rendition of reality of during these surreal times.

Franz Zéphirin, The Slave Ship Brooks, 2007 - screenshot

Alemani said:
"The Milk of Dreams describes a magical world where life is constantly re-envisioned through the prism of the imagination. It is a world where everyone can change, be transformed, become something or someone else...
 
 ...During these endless months in front of the screen, I have pondered the question of what role the International Art Exhibition should play at this historical juncture, and the simplest, most sincere answer I could find is that the Biennale sums up all the things we have so sorely missed in the last two years: the freedom to meet people from all over the world, the possibility of travel, the joy of spending time together, the practice of difference, translation, incomprehension, and communion..." 
Tishan Hsu, Breath 3, 2021 - screenshot

In addition to the exhibition that takes place in the Central Pavilion at Giardini and in the Arsenale, Biennale Art 2022 also includes 80 National Participations by countries from all over the globe. Visit La Biennale website for lots more information and to watch the press conference with an English translation.
 
With the arrival of these two major global cultural events, as well as a firm foundation of more than a millennium of art and culture, Venice will once again hitch up her skirts and maintain her stalwart position as an international center where diverse civilizations converge. See you soon in Venice!

Ciao from Venezia,
Cat Bauer