César Aira's 'Il pittore fulminato' reimagines Johann Moritz Rugendas' life
César Aira's 2000 novel 'Il pittore fulminato' (published in Italian by Fazi Editore in 2018, translated by Raul Schenardi) takes a brief, dramatic episode from the life of 19th-century German painter Johann Moritz Rugendas (1802–1858). Rugendas specialized in travel painting, first accompanying Baron von Langsdorff's Brazilian expedition, then independently. Influenced by Alexander von Humboldt's 'physiognomy of nature,' he traveled extensively across South America from 1831 to 1845, visiting Haiti, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil. Aira describes the novel as a 'ready-made'—he found the episode already formed and merely narrated it. The story traverses the pampa and encounters indigenous peoples, blending biography with imaginative fiction. The book is 94 pages, priced €16, ISBN 9788893252768.
Key facts
- César Aira wrote 'Il pittore fulminato' in 2000.
- The novel focuses on a brief episode from Johann Moritz Rugendas' life.
- Rugendas was a German travel painter (1802–1858).
- He was influenced by Alexander von Humboldt's theory of physiognomy of nature.
- Rugendas traveled extensively in South America from 1831 to 1845.
- Aira calls the novel a 'ready-made'—he found the story already formed.
- The Italian edition was published by Fazi Editore in 2018, translated by Raul Schenardi.
- The book is 94 pages, costs €16, ISBN 9788893252768.
Entities
Artists
- César Aira
- Johann Moritz Rugendas
- Krause
- Alexander von Humboldt
- Baron von Langsdorff
- Raul Schenardi
- Stefania Parmeggiani
- Marco Enrico Giacomelli
Institutions
- Fazi Editore
- Humboldt Books
- Artribune
Locations
- Coronel Pringles
- Buenos Aires
- Andes
- Argentina
- Augsburg
- Weilheim
- Brazil
- Haiti
- Mexico
- Chile
- Uruguay
- Peru
- Bolivia
- Rome
- Milan