At the time of writing my Italian blog is two years old!! Happy birthday Italian blog!
Until we bought our home in Italy a couple of years ago I don't think I was aware of the term "bella figura" at all, though I guess I've always known that the Italians, both men and women, are mightily into cutting the right appearance when out in public, either at work or when at leisure. Take a stroll down the main street in any Italian community during the late afternoon "passeggiata" and the locals will parade in their finest - conscious of the need to impress their friends and neighbours with their choice of clothing, shoes, hairstyle and general appearance. The other thing that always amuses me is that Italians, when at work, must also look "appropriate and proper" in relation to their occupational roles. A policeman must look like a policeman - a tennis coach must be dressed in the latest sports gear appropriate to the coaching tasks in hand. A pair of baggy shorts and a worn out pair of trainers is not an option. Our bank manager in Citta della Pieve, Fabio, always makes us smile with his sharply cut suits and beautifully razored sideburns which must take an age to perfect every morning. Lately he's taken to wearing those fashionable drainpipe trousers that are all the rage amongst European males which I must admit I don't have a preference for myself! Outside in the square the local caribiniere parade up and down in their well tailored blue uniforms with red ribbons down each trouser leg. It must be a pain keeping the creases so well pressed but they always look perfect to me.
A wonderful example of this "bella figura"is given to me every time I play virtual tennis on my ipad when I'm travelling on a train or plane or just passing an idle half hour at home. The game is extremely realistic and forces one to compete against a selection of male and female players and they differ in age, sex and background. They are wonderfully stereotyped with names to match and whenever I select the tennis court based on the Colusseum in Rome (the court is in the middle of a virtual Roman amphitheatre!) inevitably I will be required to play against Giatta - a sexily mature Italian brunette, not unlike Sophia Loren, with formidable skills on the tennis court.
Before the game starts she appears as a cartoon figure, her amply rounded body tightly clad in a tailored and well cut pink dress complete with fashionable accessories; she has a designer hand bag over her left arm. A blob from her mouth sometimes informs me when we compete "I like to look good when I'm playing". Invariably she beats me! It's a carefully constructed image and a brilliant take on the concept I've been trying to outline in this posting.
Today the sharply cut suit typical of the output of Giorgio Armani is another reminder that bella figura is as important as ever to the modern Italian male and its an image that's promoted their wares well on world markets for years.
And if looking good in the bedroom is important - well Armani can entice you to wear their designer underwear as well. The advertisements featuring the legendary footballer David Beckham have done wonders for the sale of Armani underpants.
Bella figura is deeply rooted in Italian society and I love to think about it in relation to some of my favourite Renaissance paintings dating from the 15th century. There's a portrait in the National Gallery, London which comes to mind. Entitled "Portrait of a Lady in Yellow" it was puchased by the gallery not long after its foundation in 1866. It's by a Florentine artist called Alesso Baldovinetti and was probably painted in tempera and oil on panel in about 1465.
The incorporation of oil paint in to the painting medium, a relatively new innovation for the date, has enabled the painter to produce a work of accomplished refinement and elegance. The dark blue background emphasises the person to be contemplated and studied and the representation of the sitter in half profile reflects the fashion for the antique at the time - there was considerable interest in portrait heads in profile to be found on rediscovered Roman coins. The oil pant has enabled the painter to represent great detail in every aspect of the lady's "bella figura" - in the fabric and patterning of the dress, in the details of her hairdressing and in the jewellery she wears. Who she is remains a mystery, but there is one aspect of the composition we are drawn to focus on - the stand out black patterning on the sleeve.
Sleeves were highly important features of the camura (dress) of a lady in Italian society in the second half of the 15th century. They were often made separately and affixed to the dress they were to be worn with by knotted laces called points. Sometimes the camicia undergarment would be pulled through to provide a decorative ruffle at the joining though that is not the case here. We know from documents surviving from the time that the sleeves were often more valuable in monetary terms than the rest of the dress. Here the visible sleeve is embroidered in black silk with three stylised palm leaves tied together with a ribbon. Almost certainly they represent a heraldic device related to her family or perhaps to the family she was to be married in to. They are a fundamental part of her "bella figura" and an expression of her status as an elegant if not beautiful Florentine noblewoman.
So if I had to make a choice between a poster of David Beckham in his underpants or a portrait of a Renaissance lady in a fine outfit which would it be I can hear you asking? Well - there is no choice really is there? - it would be the Renaissance painting every time!!
Ciao & KBO
Ian
Look up my other Italian blog - ITALIANFRIDGEMAGNETS.BLOGSPOT.CO.UK if you are interested in more Italian stuff.
Until we bought our home in Italy a couple of years ago I don't think I was aware of the term "bella figura" at all, though I guess I've always known that the Italians, both men and women, are mightily into cutting the right appearance when out in public, either at work or when at leisure. Take a stroll down the main street in any Italian community during the late afternoon "passeggiata" and the locals will parade in their finest - conscious of the need to impress their friends and neighbours with their choice of clothing, shoes, hairstyle and general appearance. The other thing that always amuses me is that Italians, when at work, must also look "appropriate and proper" in relation to their occupational roles. A policeman must look like a policeman - a tennis coach must be dressed in the latest sports gear appropriate to the coaching tasks in hand. A pair of baggy shorts and a worn out pair of trainers is not an option. Our bank manager in Citta della Pieve, Fabio, always makes us smile with his sharply cut suits and beautifully razored sideburns which must take an age to perfect every morning. Lately he's taken to wearing those fashionable drainpipe trousers that are all the rage amongst European males which I must admit I don't have a preference for myself! Outside in the square the local caribiniere parade up and down in their well tailored blue uniforms with red ribbons down each trouser leg. It must be a pain keeping the creases so well pressed but they always look perfect to me.
A wonderful example of this "bella figura"is given to me every time I play virtual tennis on my ipad when I'm travelling on a train or plane or just passing an idle half hour at home. The game is extremely realistic and forces one to compete against a selection of male and female players and they differ in age, sex and background. They are wonderfully stereotyped with names to match and whenever I select the tennis court based on the Colusseum in Rome (the court is in the middle of a virtual Roman amphitheatre!) inevitably I will be required to play against Giatta - a sexily mature Italian brunette, not unlike Sophia Loren, with formidable skills on the tennis court.
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| GIATTA CORVO IS A FORMIDABLE VIRTUAL TENNIS OPONENT BUT SHE ALWAYS LOOKS GOOD |
Today the sharply cut suit typical of the output of Giorgio Armani is another reminder that bella figura is as important as ever to the modern Italian male and its an image that's promoted their wares well on world markets for years.
 |
| THE SHARPY CUT ARMANI SUIT MAKES BELLA FIGURA EASIER TO ACHIEVE FOR MANY MEN |
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| DAVID BECKHAM AND THE ARMANI UNDERPANT ADS |
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| PORTRAIT OF A LADY IN YELLOW by Alesso Baldovinetti C1465 |
Sleeves were highly important features of the camura (dress) of a lady in Italian society in the second half of the 15th century. They were often made separately and affixed to the dress they were to be worn with by knotted laces called points. Sometimes the camicia undergarment would be pulled through to provide a decorative ruffle at the joining though that is not the case here. We know from documents surviving from the time that the sleeves were often more valuable in monetary terms than the rest of the dress. Here the visible sleeve is embroidered in black silk with three stylised palm leaves tied together with a ribbon. Almost certainly they represent a heraldic device related to her family or perhaps to the family she was to be married in to. They are a fundamental part of her "bella figura" and an expression of her status as an elegant if not beautiful Florentine noblewoman.
So if I had to make a choice between a poster of David Beckham in his underpants or a portrait of a Renaissance lady in a fine outfit which would it be I can hear you asking? Well - there is no choice really is there? - it would be the Renaissance painting every time!!
Ciao & KBO
Ian
Look up my other Italian blog - ITALIANFRIDGEMAGNETS.BLOGSPOT.CO.UK if you are interested in more Italian stuff.
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