Critical Review - DRAFT
Critical Review
The figure of flâneur:
interdisciplinary
interpretations
in historical periods.
Keywords: psychogeography, photography, flâneur, urban exploration, drift
ABSTRACT
“What exactly a flâneur is has never been satisfactorily defined….”
(Solnit, 2000)[1]
The term
"flâneur" was born, in the literary field, in the mid-1800s.
Originally associated with
a so-called desire for discovery in city environments, it was a source of
inspiration for many artists, in various disciplines and historical periods.
In the 1950s,
socio-political intellectuals "enlisted" this literary figure in
their political projects, giving it a reactionary connotation towards
established urban topography, thus questioning society and dominant thought.
Many artists identified
with, and projected thoughts and contents into it, thus keeping it current and
a perennial source of inspiration. These multiple contributions enriched and
almost mythologized the figure of the flâneur, nevertheless giving it sometimes
contradictory behaviors and inclinations.
Today we study the flâneur
and, not only do we see it as something that is always alive and current, but
we trace it back to a time span that precedes its own birth, to the point of
making us think that, in reality, the flâneur existed well before receiving this
name.
I have dedicated this
critical review to examining some of the most significant interpretations by
artists in different historical periods, up to my personal interpretation of
today. I then contaminated my photographic project with my conclusions.
[1] Solnit, Rebecca. Wanderlust
(p.214). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Ed.
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Image 1 Flâneur, Photo Credits: ilflaneur.com
Structure – Draft
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Edgar Allan Poe: The man in the crowd
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Charles Baudelaire vs Baron Haussmann
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Walter Benjamin
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Rebecca Solnit
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Flaneurism and Situationism
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Flaneurie & Flaneuse
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Dziga Vertov: The man with the movie camera (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1fbFd0qET0)
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Paul Martin, Arnold Genthe,
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Charles Nègre (Chimney Sweep walking)
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Eugene Atget: Ghosting
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Lee Friedlander: car
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David Byrne: bycicle
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The awareness of space (Cartier Bresson?)
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Georges Georgiou
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Sophie Calle: Suite Venitienne
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Richard Long
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Modern Interpretation: John Rafman and google street view
Readings & Links
Solnit, Rebecca. “Wanderlust”, Penguin
Publishing Group. Kindle Ed.
Poe, Edgar Allan, "The Man of the
Crowd", AB Books. Kindle Ed.
Baudelaire, C. P., 1863, "The Painter
of Modern Life", from Baudelaire: Selected Writings on Art and
Literature trans. P.E. Charvet (Viking 1972) pp. 395-422.
Coverley, Merlin. “Psychogeography”, Oldcastle
Books, Scribd Ed.
Benjamin, Walter., "Charles Baudelaire: A
Lyric Poet in the Era of High Capitalism", Verso, 1933
Benjamin, Walter., "Arcades Project”, 1999
White, Edmund. The Flaneur . Bloomsbury
Publishing. Kindle Ed.
Armato, Gaspare. Il senso storico del flâneur
(Italian Edition), Kindle Ed.
Byrne, David. Bicycle Diaries. Faber &
Faber. Kindle Ed.
Castigliano, Federico. Flâneur: The Art of
Wandering the Streets of Paris, Kindle Ed.
https://www.meer.com/en/40978-the-flaneur
https://www.finestresullarte.info/recensioni-mostre/recensione-mostra-flaneur-bonn
https://georgegeorgiou.net/gallery.php?ProjectID=155
https://it.scribd.com/article/340784612/The-Case-For-The-Flaneuse