Papers by Alessandro Grelli
Contemporanea. Rivista di storia dell’800 e del ‘900 (fascicolo 2, pp. 193-226 ), 2024
In 1821, the outbreak of the Greek War of Independence sparked a philhellenic mobilization that d... more In 1821, the outbreak of the Greek War of Independence sparked a philhellenic mobilization that drew in the European public with a never-before-seen intensity. The media, and military panoramas in particular, played a decisive role in this veritable «Graecomania». Patented in 1787, the panorama consisted in an immense circular canvas, allowing the spectator to be completely immersed in the painted subject. Having faced a crisis with the end of the Napoleonic wars, the military panorama received fresh impetus from the Hellenic conflict, and it became a huge success, especially in Paris and London. Filling a gap in the scientific literature, this article aims to reconstruct the story of the philhellenic panoramas produced in France and England with a transnational perspective, highlighting the innovative ways through which they mediatized and spectacularized the Greek War of Independence. More precisely, the philhellenic season launched two formats: the fixed panorama, perfected in France by Jean-Charles Langlois, and the moving panorama, popularized in England by a varied crowd of stage designers and entertainment entrepreneurs.
International Panorama Council Journal, Volume 6 , 2023
The years between the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century were marked b... more The years between the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century were marked by a great media transformation that led to a process of spectacularisation of politics. The war dimension was decisively affected by this transformation. A whole set of new cultural products offered to the public a virtual participation in war events of the time. Panoramas were the most effective ones, as they allowed for an immersive experience of the battlefields. At the same time, panoramas conquered the interest of institutions which integrated them into their policies of spectacularisation. The aim of this paper is to show how panoramas were crucial in the 19th-century process of militarisation of the imageries, by presenting the Italian unification, the so-called Risorgimento, as a case study. More precisely, the paper will focus on the panoramas devoted to the battle of Solferino (June 24, 1859), in which the Piedmontese and French armies defeated the Austrians. The Panorama of the Battle of Solferino, painted by Jean-Charles Langlois in 1865, and the similarly themed ones exhibited in Milan in 1881 and in Turin in 1884, will be discussed.
Rassegna storica del Risorgimento, 108/2, 2021
In the 19th century, battlefields played an increasingly important role in the imaginaries and se... more In the 19th century, battlefields played an increasingly important role in the imaginaries and sensibilities of the public, establishing themselves as destinations of a new travel experience that can be defined as patriotic tourism. The article will consider the Italian Risorgimento, presenting the battle of Solferino and San Martino as a case study. More precisely, it will reconstruct the touristic and memorial policies implemented by the Society of Solferino and San Martino, from the aftermath of the battle until the celebration of its fiftieth anniversary in 1909, under the different presidencies of Luigi Torelli, Vincenzo Stefano Breda and Carlo Maluta. A transnational perspective will also be adopted, analysing touristic flows from abroad and the central role played by French diplomacy in publicising and promoting the sites of the 1859 Campaign.
Conference presentations by Alessandro Grelli
«Giro Giro Mondo. Ottocento, un secolo lungo e interconnesso», 2024
Convegno internazionale di studi, Pisa, Domus Mazziniana (14-15 giugno 2024)
«Les objets parlent-ils ?», 2023
Doctoriales du Centre d'Histoire du XIXe Siècle (Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, 10 juin 2023)
«Immersive Experience. From Panorama to Extended Reality», 2022
31st International Panorama Council Conference
Lëtzebuerg City Museum, Luxembourg
13-17 Septemb... more 31st International Panorama Council Conference
Lëtzebuerg City Museum, Luxembourg
13-17 September 2022
«Spectacle et spectaculaire à l'ère contemporaine», 2021
École doctorale d'automne METIS 2021
Université de Lausanne
8-12 novembre 2022
Talks by Alessandro Grelli
Giovedì 8 ottobre 2020
Padova, Università degli Studi di Padova - Scuola Galileiana di Studi Supe... more Giovedì 8 ottobre 2020
Padova, Università degli Studi di Padova - Scuola Galileiana di Studi Superiori (SGSS) [online]
L’iniziativa si propone di costruire una riflessione attorno al vasto tema dell’impero, osservato attraverso il rapporto delle istituzioni, delle pratiche e dei discorsi imperiali con l’alterità in diversi momenti e contesti storici, ponendo l’accento su specificità, analogie e differenze.
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Papers by Alessandro Grelli
Conference presentations by Alessandro Grelli
Lëtzebuerg City Museum, Luxembourg
13-17 September 2022
Talks by Alessandro Grelli
Padova, Università degli Studi di Padova - Scuola Galileiana di Studi Superiori (SGSS) [online]
L’iniziativa si propone di costruire una riflessione attorno al vasto tema dell’impero, osservato attraverso il rapporto delle istituzioni, delle pratiche e dei discorsi imperiali con l’alterità in diversi momenti e contesti storici, ponendo l’accento su specificità, analogie e differenze.
Lëtzebuerg City Museum, Luxembourg
13-17 September 2022
Padova, Università degli Studi di Padova - Scuola Galileiana di Studi Superiori (SGSS) [online]
L’iniziativa si propone di costruire una riflessione attorno al vasto tema dell’impero, osservato attraverso il rapporto delle istituzioni, delle pratiche e dei discorsi imperiali con l’alterità in diversi momenti e contesti storici, ponendo l’accento su specificità, analogie e differenze.