Mariano Fortuny
Textile, Lighting & Fashion Design
"Work is something active. Inactive work does not exist. Every work is a son that always recognises its father."
About
Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo was born in Granada in 1871 into an artistic family. His father, a renowned painter with an international reputation, had a deep love for history and built an impressive collection of objects and fabrics. During a trip to Rome in 1874, he tragically died of malaria at the age of 36. The family then moved to Paris, where Mariano began learning painting, copying the masters in museums, and studying the treasures his father had collected. His mother decided to leave Paris for Venice in 1889. For 18-year-old Mariano, Venice's timeless atmosphere strengthened his belief that studying the past could teach him more than the shifting trends of contemporary artistic groups and doctrines.
In 1893, Mariano discovered Wagner's universe in Bayreuth — a revelation. The composer's philosophy profoundly influenced him, and he embraced the idea of a total art, Gesamtkunstwerk. Fortuny was a fusion of technician, artist, and craftsman. Through painting, he learned to use color and seek harmony. His printmaking work was highly expressive, as he enjoyed layering elements, much like he would later do with his fabrics, playing with light and transparency.
In 1900, he settled with his wife Henriette in the Pesaro-Orfei Palace in Venice. An insatiable creator, Fortuny explored all fields: painting, engraving, sculpture, photography, lighting techniques, and invention — he held numerous patents. He was also a stage director, furniture designer, architect, and creator of fabrics and clothing. He began fabric printing in 1907 and established a factory on the Giudecca in 1915. He perfected the same pleated silk technique for 40 years, finding fulfillment in this pursuit without ever tiring of it.
After World War I, he became recognized as a decorator, transforming the homes of the elite. On April 21, 1901, he patented his system of indirect stage lighting in Paris, followed by a project for a mobile dome realized with the AEG company in 1906. Mariano Fortuny passed away in Venice in 1949.
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