"Time's Seconds Prominent Arise / Trembling in the Façade": A Look Back at Roman Architecture. "Il Gesù" by Milada Součková.
Abstract
This paper addresses Milada Součková's (1899-1983) poem "Il Gesú" (approx. 1976), inspired by the main church of Societas Iesu in Rome, built in 1575- 1584 and designed by Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola and Giacomo della Porta. In his innovatory treatise "Das Dinggedicht" (1926), written during the atmosphere of Neue Sachlichkeit, with terms like Sache, Sachlichkeit as well as Ding, Dinglichkeit and "Verdinglichung" being an essential part of its aesthetic approach, Kurt Oppert speaks about the architecture in poetry as "the things of architecture" (Dinge der Architektur) the value of which is provided by their purpose and function.
However, the architectonic object is not only a "thing of art" (Kunst -Ding) created in a specifi c way: it is possible to see architecture - though with a certain reserve - as a specifi c form of speech. For Součková, Il Gesú is a place (locus), where concepts of poetics and cultural history, semantics, cultural and art historical and aesthetical theological reference as well as sacral and profane references meet and intersect.