Manulisten II

Wanda Wulz, Fotografa Futurista (1932) Born into a dynasty of photographers who had operated a studio in the city of Trieste since 1860, she was the granddaughter of the renowned photographer Giuseppe Wulz—a native of Cave del Predil—and the daughter of Carlo. As he had no sons, Carlo trained his daughters, Wanda and Marion, in the family craft. Unlike most young women of the bourgeoisie at the time, who typically attended teacher-training institutes, she attended a *liceo* (classical high school) and also studied the piano. Wanda took over the management of the firm following her father’s death in 1928, at the age of 53. She never married, choosing instead to dedicate herself entirely to her work. She became famous primarily for her portraiture. In the late 1920s, she became interested in the "photodynamism" of the Bragaglia brothers and the Futurist movement. Her explorations led her to extensive darkroom work, where she created high-quality, striking photomontages, *fotoplastiche* (photoplastic works), and *fotodinamiche* (photodynamic images). In 1932, following a meeting with Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, she became involved with Futurism and participated in the "Futurist Exhibition" in Trieste, organized by the poet Bruno Giordano Sanzin. Other participants included the Turin-based photographer Maggiorino Gramaglia, as well as Fosco Maraini and Arturo Bragaglia. She moved away from the movement toward the end of the decade. Her best-known work is "Io + Gatto" ("Me + Cat"), a self-portrait combined with the image of a cat. She continued to work until the age of 77, when, in 1981, she decided to close the studio. She passed away four years later in Trieste—the city where she had spent her entire life.