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Title: L'Arte e il Torchio 2007 |
Catalogue showcase
Art and the Printing Press 2007
(by G.N.)
Artifex devoted many articles to this edition of the biennal L'Arte e il Torchio (Art and the Printing Press) 2007 (links follow: invitation - in English -, gli ex libris e la letteratura europea, omaggio a Stanley William Hayter, incisori bulgari contemporanei - all in Italian only).
Now a quick description of the catalogue, whose curator is Vladimiro Elvieri. After customary pages, that contains aknowledgements and thanks to sponsor and personailities, and that present the catalogue content, we find the salutation by Gian Carlo Corada and Gianfranco Berneri, respectively Mayor and Culture Representative of Cremona.
Then there's the salutation by Giorgio Fouqué, president of A.D.A.F.A. (Associazione d'Arte, Famiglia Artistica). An essay by professor Dino Formaggio follows. Again, a presentation by Vladimiro Elvieri, that we reproduce below.
Desirée Hayter and Robert Marteau describe to us the "Atelier Contrepoint", formerly known as "Atelier 17", protagonist of one of the sections of the exhibition and catalogue.
After that, the iconographic part starts, with the reproduction of works on exhibition, almost all of them coming from Atelier Contrepoint, Héctor Saunier and Desirée Hayter collections.
Catalogue continues with the list of artists invited to join the 5a rassegna Internazionale dell'incisione di piccolo formato, then with the reproduction of the works sent in by those artists. All the works has been donated to ADAFA for the international graphic collection of the Gabinetto dei Disegni e delle Stampe of the Museo Civico "Ala Ponzone" of Cremona.
An article by prof. Witold Skulicz, president of the International Triennal of Graphic Art of Crakow, introduces the reader into the next section, "Polish Graphic".
Georgi Kolev, director of Lessedra, Gallery & Contemporary Art Projects, Sofia, has some personal reflections about contemporary Bulgarian engraving, theme of the next iconographic section.
"Gli ex libris e la letteratura europea" ("Ex libris and European literature) are introduced by two articles, by Mauro Bodini, president of Pro Loco of Soncino, and by Mauro Mainardi, president of AIE, Associazione Italiana Ex libris. There's an anthology of the works submitted and displayed.
An essay by Vladimiro Elvieri, devoted to the main engraving techniques, cloese the catalogue.
Front cover, catalogue, Art and
the Printing Press 2007
What follows is the introduction by Vladimiro Elvieri, curator and the man behind the exhibition and catalogue
The 5th edition of "ART & THE PRINTING PRESS"
represents another opportunity to investigate one's
own knowledge of the world of the art of printmaking, in constant
ferment and evolution ferment in spite of the indifference shown
by the market and the progress of new technologies.
The present edition, taking place from April 15 to 27, 2007, includes 5 exhibitions in three different locations, with the total participation of 343 artists and 600 works exhibited.
The Civic Museum "Ala Ponzone" of Cremona is hosting the 5th edition of the International Small Format Print Exhibition, including 240 recent works by 120 artists coming from 50 countries, invited by a special commission of experts, offering a 360° panorama of the tendencies and new discoveries in the field of contemporary research in printmaking.
A special exhibition has been prepared to pay tribute to Stanley William Hayter, one of the most important printmakers of the 1900s, and the artists that in time have shared ideas and the experimental methods applied to colour prints obtained by printing on a sole plate with a sole passage through the press. Atelier 17 of Paris was the most revolutionary printmaking workshop of the last century and a reference point for many artists all over the world, from Max Ernst to Mirò, from Masson to Alechinsky, to name just a few, attracted by the process brought by Hayter in the field of printmaking techniques.
After the death of Hayter, in 1988, Atelier 17 continued its activity in the workshop of rue Didot, with the new name of Atelier Contrepoint, under the direction of Juan Valladares and Héctor Saunier; the latter, together with Désirée Hayter, curated the present exhibition in the premises of Museo civico "Ala Ponzone" , entitled "PARIS 1927-2007 : From Atelier 17 to Atelier Contrepoint" ; it covers the period from 1927 (year of foundation) to 1988, with a selection of 55 artists, exhibiting 150 works, whereas the section dedicated to Atelier Contrepoint, from 1989 to now, includes 24 authors of various nationalities.
One reason of great satisfaction is the donation of works, not only on behalf of many artists for the International Collection of graphic art of the Print Cabinet in the Museo Civico of Cremona, but also on behalf of prestigious institutions as in the case of the International Triennial of Graphic Art of Cracow, that has donated to the City of Cremona 59 works out of the 77 on exhibition, made mostly by young artists but already authors of fame of the new generation. The exhibition POLISH GRAPHICS presents works of large dimensions that have been realized with techniques ranging from linocuts to silkscreen, including digital prints.
They are graphic works, not only engravings, expression of an artistic research that opens to various directions, witness of a daily reality getting more and more ferocious, as Witold Skulicz, curator of the exhibition and President of the Triennial of Graphic Art of Cracow wrote on the catalogue.
In the nearby hall of the cultural association ADAFA, organizer of the event in collaboration with the Province of Cremona and the Pro Loco of Soncino, is hosted the section dedicated to the countries recently admitted to the European Community. This year, the country invited is Bulgaria, and under the title CONTEMPORARY BULGARIAN PRINTMAKERS, some of the most significant Bulgarian artists - amongst them young artists, liberating themselves from a past linked to the themes of symbolism and Orthodox culture, are members of a school recognized as one of the most interesting in recent years.
The works exhibited have been made by means of relief and chalcographic
techniques, with the addition of lithographs.
16 artists, with 2 works each, are represented, selected
by Georgi Kolev, director of Lessedra Gallery,
organizer of the International Exhibition dedicated to art prints,
the Lessedra Print Annual in Sofia.
The section dedicated to "ex libris" is hosted, as in the previous editions, in the "Casa degli Stampatori", today Print Museum, in Soncino (CR). The exhibition, in collaboration with the Pro Loco of Soncino, is entitled EX LlBRIS AND EUROPEAN LITERATURE, and presents a collection owned by AIE (Associazione Italiana Ex libris) and its President, Mauro Mainardi, who curated the selection: 150 prints made with various techniques by Italian and foreign artists, inspired by European literature and the origins of the Italian language.
During the duration of these exhibitions, in the premises of the Museo Civico "Ala Ponzone" a didactic workshop will illustrate, by means of brief technical lessons and practical demonstrations how to make an originaI print on a chalcographic press; these demonstrations are available to visitors as well as schools.
In the workshop, May 9 will be dedicated to handmade paper, and representatives of Fabriano, the famous handmade paper factory, will be present to revive the magic of this art, according to antique traditions.
The scientific committee is presided by Dino Formaggio, art philosopher, author of a significant text in the catalogue in Italian and in English; the catalogue also includes texts by Desirée Hayter, Robert Marteau, Witold Skulicz, Georgi Kolev, Mauro Mainardi, and the general curator, Vladimiro Elvieri.
Apart from the present catalogue, a DVD, produced by Pinel Studio Cremona, relative to the 2007 edition, contains two exceptional films: the first one iIIustrates simultaneous colour printmaking techniques elaborated at Atelier Contrepoint in Paris; the second is a conference held by Dino Formaggio in 2005 at ADAFA entitled "Technique of Art and its relation to time".
With this 5th edition of the Biennial Exhibition of Prints, Cremona,
once again, receives international attention by the quality
of the events and the involvement in safeguarding the patrimony
of art not limited by frontiers, significant of our times.
Vladimiro Elvieri engraver printmaker.
Born 1950 in Schio (Vicenza). Has participated in numerous international
exhibitions including: Ljubljana, Taipei, Sapporo, Biella, Cracow,
Portland, Kanagawa, Beograd, Qingdao, etc. To date, his graphic
production is of about 530 engravings (mostly "drypoint on
plexiglas"). Conceiver-curator of the "L'Arte e il Torchio
/ Art and the Printing Press", International Engraving Exhibition,
Cremona.
(Translation by Patricia Kaden)
To learn more:
http://www.artetorchio.it/
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