The ascent of Vesuvius
Until 1944 the volcano was in full activity and a must-see for every traveler. Artists loved to paint its eruptions and many writers climbed on its slopes to catch a glimpse of the crater
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Vesuvius explodes! Italy’s historic volcano bursts into the most fearsome and devastating eruption in 70 years. Over the fiery crater a great ball of smoke and lava dust spirals into the sky. A giant specter of endless grief for the Italian people, suffering under many years of brutal fascism, then German occupation, then Allied bombing, then the devastation of battle, now it is Vesuvius.
An old newsreel described with these words the last Vesuvius eruption, which occurred in March 1944, when World War II was still in course and Allied troops had been in Naples for a few months. Since then, the volcano has entered a phase of quiescence, its crater plugged, grass growing along its slopes. Even the plume of smoke rising from its top, for many years so distinctive of the Neapolitan panorama, has disappeared.
Today’s tranquility is similar to what had happened to the volcano before the great eruption of 1631. Then, from 1631 to 1944, about 50 eruptions followed one another, each one giving Mount Vesuvius a different shape. At the time of the Grand tour, between 18th and 19th century, Vesuvius was therefore in full activity. It was a must-see for foreign travelers, and a major inspiration for artists. Vesuvius, we must remember, was the only volcano in all of Europe with a reasonable access for foreign travelers. Other Italian volcanoes were (and are) much more difficult to reach: Stromboli is on an island and Etna is much more higher, with snowy peaks during winter. Compared to these, Vesuvius was in a perfect location.
Painters loved the peculiar light and color effects created by the volcano’s eruptions, and Vesuvius became one of the most represented views, often set in a full moon night to amplify the contrast between warm and cold lights. The English painter Joseph Wright of Derby produced about 30 views of Vesuvius in eruption, though he had never actually seen one in person. And when it comes to paint light, how could William Turner not be of the lot?
This long tradition must have been in Andy Warhol’s mind when he visited Naples in 1975: later he created his own personal interpretation of Vesuvius in eruption, in a painting currently hosted in the Museo e Real bosco di Capodimonte.
Writers, instead, were most keen to climb the volcano. Goethe, Stendhal, Mary and Percy Shelley, Mark Twain… everyone of them, at different times, undertook the ascent of Mount Vesuvius. Goethe in particular was eager to look down inside the crater… and that could be dangerous! Even when it was not erupting, during its normal activity, Vesuvius was constantly sprouting smoke and lava dust from its top.
I really wanted to draw this scene in my book, because it seems very indicative to me of the spirit with which Goethe travelled through Italy - he really wanted to see everything with his eyes. Then I realized that it was like drawing an alien world: I didn’t have the slightest idea of how people used to climb Vesuvius in 18th century. So I did some research and I came across an Italian painter called Pietro Fabris. In 1776 Fabris illustrated Campi Phlegraei, an essay on the volcanoes in Southern Italy written by Sir William Hamilton, who was then Britain’s envoy at the Court of Naples (Naples was Capital of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies) - he even does a brief appearance in Goethe’s Italian Journey, when the German writer pays a visit to him.
I was delighted to discover, among Fabris’ illustrations, what can only be described as a comic page from 1776:
The different panels show the changing shape of the little mountain inside the crater of Mount Vesuvius in the month of July 1767. In another illustration by Fabris we can see some 19th century gentlemen visiting the volcano.
I’m just realizing now, writing this post, that I’ve drawn a different view of Vesuvius in each chapter of my book - they should go like this: 1) Goethe 2) Stendhal 3) Mary and Percy Shelley. I really like to draw volcanoes!