"The archive is an unrepeatable work tool, because it contains the history and the reasons for the journey travelled, therefore the time, of which memory has an idea that seems precise but is vague, full of holes and cancellations." Fabio Mauri, handwritten note to Elisabetta Catalano

Introduction

Originally, my connection to Rome was heavily influenced by the tragic stories of the British writers of the Romantic era that I obsessively read growing up and the escapades of American filmmakers and celebrities who invaded the Cinecittà Studios in the 50s. After this trip, with an expanded appreciation for Italian art, I now imagine Elizabetta Catano reloading her camera at a bar on the Via Veneto alongside Federico Fellini as artists from the Arte Povera movement like Jannis Kounellis sit at a nearby table in deep conversation.

I've collected some souvenirs and snapshots from my journey here. I hope it shines a light on the incredible artists, stories, and institutions our class explored thanks to the direction of Professor Cristina Pattuelli and the support of Pratt Institute.

Daily Observations

Artist Archives

Quick Notes on

A Brief Overview of

Artists' Archives in Rome

Sophia Tarin

* * *

the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation

The Robert Rauschenberg Foundation is located in a delicate townhouse right by the Public Theater. The ground floor incorporates half of an old chapel while remnants of Rauschenberg's kitchen and library are preserved amidst the foundation's exhibition space, archives, and offices. As an artist, I've always found myself drawn to environments that carry significant historical and artistic value, particularly those linked to the creative process.

During the archive tour, we were presented with a variety of Rauschenberg's documents, among them, photographs that showcase Italy through Rauschenberg's eyes, highlighting corners, cracks, and objects that fill the hardware of Italy. However, what captured my attention were these sheets of legal paper that depicted Rauschenberg's brainstorming process for potential artwork titles. The titles, while seemingly nonsensical, or perhaps precisely for that reason, brim with energy and wordplay. I have considered adopting them as titles and inspiration for a new series of poems.

the Keats - Shelley Memorial House

Before our trip to Rome, I stopped by the New York Public Library's Carl H. Pforzheimer Collection of Shelley and His Circle to view material related to the group's travels in Italy. Specifically, I was interested in materials related to the Keats-Shelley Memorial House. When planning my free time in Rome, visiting the room where Keats died was at the top of my list, along with the Non-Catholic Cemetery or Cimitero Acattolico, where he and other luminaries are buried. Here are some highlights from that research:

A letter from Mary Shelley to sculptor Daniel Roberts begins, “As I wish much to see the views of Rome of which you spoke.” Roberts, who designed Shelley's boat, Don Juan, sailed with Shelley and Edward Williams on a reverse course of the two men's tragic final voyage, a week before they drowned off Italy's coast on July 8, 1822.
The book, Keats Shelley & Rome, An Illustrated Miscellany by Neville Rogers, gives a narrative overview of Rome through the eyes of the poets and includes anecdotes from key figures involved with the Keats-Shelley Memorial House's history. My favorite story is about the concealment and guarding of the archive during World War II. An excerpt from this period details how, upon liberation, soldiers positioned at the museum inquired with the curator about visiting the room where Keats had died.

"My good companion Captain Mason, attached to British Army Public Relations, had the imagination to halt our jeep on the Piazza di Spagna. I think it was the first time he had ever seen it. The Keats-Shelley House is less of a museum than a house of contemplation, itself brooding inwardly upon its tenant the poet who died in one of its rooms about a century and a quarter before, and outwardly upon the very view which was before his eyes during the last days of his sad life. We climbed the stairs. The Italian Curator whom we were to find refreshing and charming company, came to the door in delayed response to our knocking and opened it cautiously. I believe we were the first in four years who sought entrance, not to loot or to search for incriminating documents, but to peruse the wealth of material the house has to offer - things that can be carried away only in the spirit."

A. C. SEDGWICK, New York Times Correspondent, attached to the American Fifth Army, on entering Rome with the Allied troops on the morning of June 5th, 1944.

I was particularly struck by the fact that after John Keats's death, manuscripts, including that of his poem "Lamia," were sliced into strips and distributed among friends. Many of the fragments are now on display at the Keats-Shelley Memorial House. There's even an unconfirmed tale that Lord Byron expressed a wish to retain Shelley's skull following his death. The dissection of manuscripts into pieces is a practice that would make any archivist wince but this intense desire to own and preserve any part of the poet's existence fascinates me.

About Me

Sophia Tarin is a poet, educator, librarian, and archivist. She teaches creative writing at Adelphi University and works in the New York Public Library’s Vartan Gregorian Center for Research in the Humanities. She served as the museum administrator of the Walt Whitman Birthplace Association in 2020 to 2021 and archival intern at the Coney Island Museum in 2023. She holds an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Adelphi University and is working towards an M.A. in the History of Art and Design and an M.S. in Library and Information Science at Pratt Institute. Her poetry has been published in Funicular Magazine, Little Patuxent Review, Phantom Drift, and Des Pair Books. She is the recipient of the 2021 Donald Everett Axinn Award for poetry.

Instagram