Ut pictura poësis: William Demby's Writings and the Roman Visual Neo-Avant-Garde

Abstract:In the 1950s and '60s, beyond his circle of writers and poets, William Demby frequented the Roman art community: He kept company with young artists such as Toti Scialoja, Mimmo Rotella, Francesco Lo Savio, and Mario Schifano. My analysis of The Catacombs (1965) explores his intense relationship with the world of visual arts—to the extent that he himself actually worked on creative experiments of words and images in search of a possible integration (or contamination) between literature and painting. Working toward the definition of Demby's creative personality, I focus mainly on the reconstruction of the Roman artistic context, especially emphasizing the relationship between Demby and Italian artists and giving a detailed overview of the cultural situation that had an undeniable impact on Demby's creativity.