Linda Bertelli

Linda Bertelli is an Associate Professor in Aesthetics at IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, where she also serves on the Faculty Board of the PhD Program in "Cognitive and Cultural Systems." Her academic career spans philosophy, aesthetics, and visual studies with a particular focus on the intersection of image theory, photographic history, and feminist thought.

Dr. Bertelli earned her PhD in Philosophy from the University of Pisa and has held prestigious positions including Marianne DiPalermo McCauley Visiting Scholar at the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute of the City University of New York. She is an active member of several scholarly organizations, serving on the national board of the Italian Society of Aesthetics and participating in Domitor and SISF.

Her research interests encompass a wide range of topics within aesthetics and visual culture. She specializes in the theory of the image, the historical development of photography between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and the history of feminist movements in Italy during the second half of the twentieth century. Her work frequently engages with the writings of Henri Bergson and Ernst Bloch, while also examining contemporary feminist aesthetics and the work of Italian feminist theorist Carla Lonzi. She has made significant contributions to the understanding of chronophotography and its relationship to early cinema and scientific visualization.

Dr. Bertelli's scholarly output includes two major monographs on Henri Bergson's theory of image and representation (2014) and Ernst Bloch's aesthetics (2018), along with numerous essays on Étienne-Jules Marey, chronophotography, and feminist aesthetics. Her recent publications demonstrate continued engagement with contemporary issues in visual culture, feminist theory, and the philosophy of photography.

Among her notable achievements is the "New Aesthetics Award" (2011), an Italian National Award presented by the Italian Society for Aesthetics. She currently serves as scientific director of a two-year project (2022-2024), co-funded by the Tuscany Region, focused on archives and photographic collections in the Lucca area, demonstrating her commitment to preserving and analyzing regional visual heritage.

Dr. Bertelli regularly presents her research at international conferences and is involved in multiple national and international research projects. Her interdisciplinary approach bridges philosophy, art history, gender studies, and media studies, making significant contributions to our understanding of visual culture and its historical development.