Anna D'Elia's 'La scimmia di Degas' Uses Edgar Degas as Pretext for Critique of Parisian Bohemia

Anna D'Elia's book 'La scimmia di Degas' (Giazira, 196 pages, €15) uses Edgar Degas as a narrative device to expose the harsh realities of 19th-century Parisian bohemia. Rather than a conventional biography, the book centers on Degas's relationship with his model Nannina, famously depicted in his sculpture 'Little Dancer of Fourteen Years'. The story unfolds as a flashback, starting with Degas on trial for mistreatment and abuse. D'Elia critiques the romanticized myth of the starving genius artist, focusing instead on the exploitation of models and ballerinas, often young girls sold into sexual slavery. The book also scrutinizes the medical establishment, particularly the Salpêtrière hospital under neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot, where women diagnosed with hysteria were subjected to abuse, including electroshock and torture, documented in photographic atlases. Other topics include Eadweard Muybridge's chronophotography, Gustave Flaubert's trial, Baron Haussmann's urban renewal, and Paris itself. Published by the small Puglian press Giazira, the book is noted for its hybrid genre blending art criticism with creative narrative. D'Elia, known for works on Pino Pascali, Luigi Ghirri, and Futurism, offers a pleasant yet instructive read, marred only by numerous typos.