Last Friday, 13 March, we had the pleasure of welcoming Simone Da Dalt, who delivered the talk “Days of War.” He presented insights from his latest publication, the article “The War on Display,” included in the catalogue Days of War. In his talk, Da Dalt offered a cross-analysis of two Great War artists: Luigi Marzocchi and Heinrich Vogeler.
Da Dalt highlighted the importance of stereoscopy in shaping the formal composition of photography and its impact on the visual representation of the First World War, particularly in the work of Italian photographer Luigi Marzocchi. As Da Dalt explained, Marzocchi’s images reveal the total character of the Great War by showing how the conflict permeated the lives of both combatants and civilians. His work underscores the war not only as a military confrontation but also as a phenomenon that transformed all aspects of social life.
Da Dalt then turned to the artistic background of German painter Heinrich Vogeler. The talk examined Vogeler’s engravings, produced during the second phase of his artistic career, when he enlisted as a volunteer with great enthusiasm. However, after becoming deeply disillusioned by the horrors and injustices of war, Vogeler addressed an open letter to Kaiser Wilhelm II, later published under the title Märchen vom lieben Gott. This act led to his discharge from military service and subsequent internment in a psychiatric hospital. In the post-war years, Vogeler’s political engagement profoundly reshaped his art, resulting in a drastic stylistic shift and a strong commitment to Communism and anti-Nazism.
After his talk, Simone Da Dalt engaged in a Q&A session with the audience, where he shared his experience as a curator of the Days of War catalogue and reflected on the influence of these artists on visual renditions of current conflicts.