Animal Rights and Language

Posted on March 14, 2019 by babbityjean

Since at least the 1980s, anti-fur campaigns have been in full force.  Animal rights groups have sensitized the western world to the cruelty of trapping and killing wildlife.  Today there is outrage in the media over trophy hunting in Africa, for example; those who brag on Facebook – posing in a photo with a dead lion or giraffe and a gun — actually risk their own lives due to the fierce opposition of so many people.  PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, has targeted designers and celebrities like Donatella Versace and Kim Kardashian for wearing and promoting fur clothing.  Even faux or synthetic fur is frowned upon for two reasons:  it sustains the fashion ideal of animal hides, and it is made from petroleum, a non-renewable resource which is not consistent with the sustainable use of our environment.

The battle continues and has moved to the world of language.  Many proverbs, metaphors, and common sayings in everyday use are based on violence or abuse of animals.  For example, to wish someone good luck in Italy, one says “in bocca al lupo” (“in the mouth of the wolf”).  The traditional response is “crepi il lupo” (“may the wolf die”), but there are now those who say “viva il lupo” (“long live the wolf”) because it is no longer acceptable to hope for the death of an animal.  (There is another possible origin to the idiomatic expression “in bocca al lupo,” which refers to the mamma wolf who holds her babies in her mouth suggesting a gesture of defense and protection.)

The growth of animal rights and of veganism has called into question sayings like “To kill two birds with one stone,” or in Italian, “ho preso due piccioni con una fava” (“I took two pigeons with one fava bean”). These and other idiomatic phrases also demonstrate the different hunting methods and diets of Italians versus Americans (and British and other Northern Europeans.  In America one says, “Bring home the bacon,” which is similar to the Italian expression, “Portare a casa la pagnotta” (“Bring home the loaf”).

Linguistic researchers in England say that many metaphors based on meat or on animal cruelty are destined to disappear over time as ethical and environment issues change both common use of language and literature.  One on the chopping block is “flogging a dead horse,” which is similar to the Italian “menare il can per l’aia”(“lead the dog to the barnyard”); both suggest that someone continues to do something useless.

PETA has asked teachers to have children reflect on the thoughts implied by these expressions. PETA suggests that “bringing home the bacon” can become “bringing home the bagels” and that “putting all your eggs in one basket” can become for vegans “putting all the berries in one bowl.” Activists maintain that while these expressions may seem harmless, they reinforce the idea of a relationship with animals based on violence and abuse.  “Teaching students to use non-cruel language promotes a positive relationship among all living beings.”

 

Posted in Abitudini, Animali, English, Foto, La Lingua, La Moda, Storia | Leave a comment

Il “Getty” Bronzo

Posted on March 7, 2019 by babbityjean

Ho scritto molti post su temi a me cari, come l’arte, l’arte rubata, l’arte rimpatriata, e la difficile questione su chi “possiede” i patrimoni artistici.  Ora una nuova polemica è emersa…ancora tra Italia e Stati Uniti.  In realtà, non è nuova…perché le querelle tra il governo italiano e il J. Paul Getty Museum di Los Angeles sul bronzo del Getty è di qualche decennio.

Nel 1977, il Getty Museum comprò una statua di bronzo chiamata “l’Atleta vittorioso” da un commerciante di antiquariato in Germania per 3,95 milioni di dollari.  È un atleta a grandezza naturale incoronato da una ghirlanda d’ulivo, che fu creato da Lisippo, uno scultore greco del IV secolo a.C.  (Studi più recenti lo fanno risalire al II o III secolo a.C.)  I bronzi a grandezza naturale sono molto rari, e questo è uno dei più belli dell’era classica.  È sono stato il pezzo forte delle collezioni di arte greca e romana al museo di Malibù negli ultimi cinquanta anni.

Dal 1989 l’Italia ha chiesto al Getty di restituirle la statua, e il Getty continua a declinare. Ecco la storia del bronzo.  La statua fu creata probabilmente in Grecia e fu disperso in mare dopo che essere stato rubata dai romani.  Il bronzo fu recuperato in acque adriatiche dai pescatori italiani nel 1964.  Rendendosi  conto del valore della loro scoperto, la portarono fino alla costa di Fano (nelle Marche) e la seppellirono in un campo di cavoli, in attesa del giusto compratore. La statua fu venduta diverse volte dopo la sua scoperta e fu nascosta in vari posti, in una vasca da bagno e persino in un convento.

Prima di acquistare il bronzo nel 1977, il Getty intraprese uno sforzo di ben cinque anni per poterlo acquistare legalmente.  L’acquisto superò l’analisi della legge internazionale, italiana, americana e californiana, inclusa la sentenza della più alta corte di giurisdizione d’Italia nel 1968, cioè la Corte di Cassazione, la quale affermò che non vi erano prove che la statua appartenesse allo stato italiano.  Nel 1973, su richiesta dell’Italia, la polizia tedesca iniziò un’indagine per verificare se il commerciante tedesco avesse ricevuto merce rubata.  L’inchiesta fu abbandonata per mancanza di prove.

Perché allora l’Italia è così insistente nel dire che l’Atleta vittorioso tornerà in Italia? Nel dicembre 2018, la Corte di Cassazione ha deciso che il museo deve rinunciare al bronzo. Visto che non c’è nessuna delibera pubblica che spieghi tale ragionamento, l’Italia ritiene che la statua sia stata trovata in acque italiane e sia stata esportata illegalmente dall’Italia, conclusioni contrarie alla sentenza della Corte del 1968. L’Italia sostiene anche che la statua fosse culturalmente e amministrativamente italiana quando affondò.

Il Getty, al contrario, ritiene che la statua sia stata recuperata in acque internazionali, sia stata costruita in territorio non italiano, e non sia una proprietà italiana soggetta al rimpatrio. Inoltre, il Getty sostiene di aver agito sottostando alla decisione del più alto tribunale italiano al momento dell’acquisto. Questo caso si è stato trascinato per 10 anni, e la battaglia non è finita.

Il Getty, a questo punto, deve sentirsi un po’ sottovalutato. Nel 2007, il Getty ha restituito 40 opere d’arte all’Italia che potrebbero essere state acquisite illegalmente, tra cui un’enorme statua di Afrodite (vedete “La polemica su chi possiede l’arte del mondo”, un post del 1 ottobre 2015).  Nel 2016 ha restituito la testa di Ade, una scultura in terracotta (vedete “Inferi”, un post del 21 aprile 2016) e nel 2017 ha rimpatriato una statua in marmo di Zeus (vedete “La statua di Zeus in trono”, un post del 13 luglio 2017). Inoltre, il Getty ha formato studiosi, curatori e conservatori italiani, e ha fornito milioni di dollari a sostegno di organizzazioni culturali italiane. Nel caso del bronzo, il Getty dice che continuerà a difendere il suo diritto legale alla statua perché la legge e i fatti non giustificano la restituzione all’Italia. I musei rispettabili oggi non conservano opere rubate o trasferite in violando il diritto internazionale. Il controllo sulla provenienza di un’opera richiede, come minimo, la documentazione di dove è stata scoperta in tempi moderni e il suo successivo spostamento oltre i confini nazionali. L’applicazione di questi standard non è sempre facile.

Rimanete sintonizzati…

 

Posted in Arte, California, Foto, Italia, Italiano, Storia | Leave a comment

The “Getty” Bronze

Posted on March 7, 2019 by babbityjean

I have written several posts about a favorite topic—art, stolen art, repatriated art, and the thorny questions surrounding who “owns” the patrimony of the art world.  Now a new controversy has emerged…again between Italy and the United States.  Actually, it’s not new…it’s been an ongoing controversy between the Italian government and the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles over what is now called the Getty bronze.

In 1977 the Getty Museum purchased a bronze statue called the “Victorious Athlete” from an antique dealer in Germany for $3.95 million.  It is a life-size athlete crowned with an olive wreath possibly by Lysippus, a Greek sculptor from the 4thcentury B.C.  (More recent scholarship has dated it to the second or third century B.C.) Life-size bronzes are very rare and this is one of the finest from the Classical era. It has been the centerpiece of the Greek and Roman antiquities collection at the museum in Malibu for the past 50 years.

Since 1989 Italy has asked the Getty to return the statue to Italy, and the Getty Museum has declined. Here’s the story.  The statue was probably fashioned in Greece and was lost at sea after being stolen by the Romans.  The bronze was retrieved from Adriatic waters by Italian fishermen in 1964. They realized the value of their discovery, brought it to shore in Fano (Le Marche), and buried it in a cabbage field, awaiting the right buyer.  The statue was sold several times after its discovery and may have been smuggled out of Italy illegally and hidden at various points in a bathtub and even in a convent.

Before the Getty purchased the bronze in 1977, it undertook a comprehensive, five-year effort to determine that the statue could be purchased legally and in good faith.  The review included analysis of international, Italian, American, and California law, including the 1968 ruling by Italy’s highest court, the Court of Cassation, which stated that there was no evidence that this statue belonged to the Italian state.  In 1973, acting on a request from Italy, German police initiated an investigation into whether the German dealer had received stolen goods. The investigation was dropped for lack of evidence of wrongdoing.

Why then is Italy so insistent that the Victorious Athlete be returned to Italy?  In December 2018, the Court of Cassation decided that the museum must forfeit the bronze.  While there was no published ruling explaining the reasoning, Italy believes that the statue was found in Italian territorial waters and was illegally exported from Italy, conclusions that run contrary to the Court’s 1968 ruling. Italy also believes that the statue was culturally and administratively Italian when it sank.

The Getty, on the other hand, believes that the statue was retrieved from international waters, was created outside of Italy, and is not an Italian object subject to repatriation. Furthermore, the Getty maintains that it acted in good faith and relied on a decision of Italy’s highest court when it was purchased.  This case has dragged on for 10 years, and the battle isn’t over.

The Getty must also feel a little underappreciated.  In 2007, the Getty returned 40 works of art to Italy that may have been illegally acquired, including an enormous statue of Aphrodite (see “The Controversy over who owns the world’s art” post of October 1, 2015).  In 2016 it returned the terracotta Head of Hades to Sicily (see “Underworld” post of April 21, 2016), and in 2017 it repatriated a marble statue of Zeus (see “The Statue of Zeus Enthroned” post of July 13, 2017).  In addition, the Getty has trained Italian scholars, curators and conservators, and provided millions of dollars in support of Italian cultural organizations.  In the case of the bronze, the Getty says it will continue to defend its legal right to the statue because the law and facts do not warrant restitution.

Respectable museums today do not retain works that were stolen or transferred in violation of international law.  Due diligence requires, at a minimum, documentation of where it was discovered in modern times and its subsequent movement across national borders. Applying these standards is not always easy.

Stay tuned…

 

Posted in Arte, California, English, Foto, Italia, Roma, Storia | 1 Comment