Shelley's perception of Italian art

Abstract

I realize that the title of my essay, despite its seeming plainness, is actually somewhat ambiguous. 'Shelley's Perception of Italian Art' conveys an inner contradiction, suggesting, on the one hand, a theme that is all too well known - the relationship between the Romantic poet and Italy - while hinting, on the other hand, at something that has not been so widely explored by the critics, namely the relationship between Shelley and the arts. And one might ask whether, in any case, it is relevant to explore such a relationship: in other words, did Italian painting, dance, music, architecture or sculpture really contribute to Shelley's aesthetic ideas and poetic theory, or was Shelley's perception of them simply the consequence of an already formulated poetical theory? I am not going to supply answers to all of this but will simply try to focus my attention on some of the poet's experiences, without hazarding any final conclusions.