DVADESETI VEK U OGLEDALU ITALIJANSKE REKLAME

Abstract

Advertising, as one of the most dominant contemporary communication and cultural signifying practices, clearly reflects the overall socio-political environment and ongoing cultural tendencies. The circumstances in Italy are not an exception to that. Like never before, in the previous century, thanks to technological and media advancements, intensive world-wide historical events and innovative cultural and artistic tendencies, advertising has become a fragmented canvas and a blueprint of reality. Therefore, this study presents a historical overview of the twentieth century interpreted through the prism of the most popular print ads from the period. It starts with an in-depth analysis of the very first futuristic advertisements, Fascist propaganda and unique “alliances” between art and propaganda. Moreover, it is argued that the development of consumer society and severe critics of consumerism, the blossoming of advertising in the eighties, seen as a reflection of the mass culture, and the expansion of socially responsible advertisements in the nineties have become important elements of Italian culture and art. Finally, manifold artistic, philosophic, linguistic and semiotic interpretations of advertising during the twentieth century have significantly influenced contemporary Italian advertising, reflecting new and emerging cultural paradigma, recognised as metamodernism. Chosen advertisements are analysed by applying qualitative content and discourse analysis of visual, verbal and audio messages. As one of the main outcomes, the significant modern, postmodern and metamodern properties in advertising are being outlined and profoundly examined.