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Venice, and one of Domenico Pellizzi’s pages (1818- 1875). Meanwhile, the standing male Nude, strongly stylized by Alessandro Casolani (1552/53- 1607) is in dialogue, with his raised arms, with the free interpretation of nude by Pirro Cuniberti, unconditioned by academia. FONTANESI AND DESIGN Design practices accompany Antonio Fontanesi’s intense artistic journey (18181882), from his most descriptive first attempts from his years in Reggio Emilia, to the pages that mark his unquiet experimentation of his more mature research. Six drawings of his can be found in the Reggio Emilia collection; two of which are from his youth, the portrait of Rodolfo Conzetti, and moreover the important “Ingresso di un tempio in Giappone”, one of the few works of the artist that reference his stay in Japan. In Villani’s collection, we find “Paesaggio con albero”, where on the back we find a summary female portrait, one of the artist’s very few drawings of people. It was this very drawing that Omar Galliani chose for his extremely personal interpretation, on display for the occasion. FOR REAL On the topic of landscape drawings, pairings have been made that allow us to follow different thematic approaches to the representation of nature. From Carlo Antonio Tavella’s clear handwriting, made in Genova in 1701, to Prospero Minghetti (1786-1853), with a punctual description of a rocky cliff finds a previous analog in Pietro Giovanni Palmieri’s subject, from the 18th century. Cantagallina’s page from the 600’s that is a counterpoint to the more minute details of Palmieri’s leaves. Francesco Fontanesi (1751- 1795) and his emotional interpretation of nature, alongside a representation from Giovanni Fontanesi’s album (1813-1875), yet romantic in its use of light. The pairing of Baccio Del Bianco’s marine views from the 600’s, and Domenico Pellizzi’s album pages (1818-1875), con-
trast with the inventions of Romolo Liverani (1809-1872). The idea of cityscapes is represented with pages from the 20th century where various artists, such as Giovanni Costetti and Graziano Pompili, express themselves in a progressive synthetic struggle born from the need to represent the city, and end up with a more conceptual take on urban themes. CHARACTERS Jusepe de Ribera, also known as “lo Spagnoletto” (15911652) is considered to be one of the most innovative designers and engravers of his time. The Museums of Reggio Emilia hold an example of the lucky series of Grotesque Heads, noted through drawings and incisions. The old bearded man is crafted with strongly engraved marks, yet he appears subtle and tormented, modeled after Leonardo’s own famous Grotesque Heads. Similarly, the “Testa d’uo¬mo di profile” by Giovanni Costetti (18741949), at the limit of expressionist deformation, most likely draws from the tradition of humanistic portraiture of the 400’s. An unrivaled expert of “dal vero” references was Gaetano Chierici (1838-1920): his “Ritratto d’uomo” relates to the “Ritratto di giovane a mezzo busto” by Bernardino Poccetti (1548-1612), a representative of the Florentine reformation from the end of the 500’s. The wise distribution of light with white lead stands out in the original “Studio di testa” by Prospero Minghetti, in which part of the unfinished bust is occupied by a sketch with a classical feminine head. Instead in the “Autoritratto” by Ottorino Davoli (1888-1945), form is dissolved, outlines become gestures, a powerfully expressive sign. The profile is the landscape of the soul.
the vitality of the artistic research that saw many artists from Reggio Emilia become active in the scenes of main European theatres. The Bibiena brother’s passage through Reggio Emilia between 1688 and 1696 was a turning point for local artistic production, able to generate personalities such as Giovanni Antonio Paglia and Prospero Zanichelli (1698-1772) up until Francesco Fontanesi (1751-1795). Romantic scenography is espoused in Alessandro Prampolini’s work, followed by Giulio Ferrari. Among the chosen works of architecture are many chapels, ceilings, and “sott in su”, which accompany the preparatory design exhibition in an important work of contemporary art realized in 2004 by the American artist Sol LeWitt for the ceiling of the reading room in Biblioteca Panizzi. Cirillo Manicardi’s grand oeuvre representing “L’Usura” as a sort of skeleton that crushes humanity (intended for decoration yet unrealized for Palazzo del Monte di Pietà’s facade), alongside drawings and sketches meant to decorate Palazzo della Cassa di Risparmio in Via Toschi, are testimony to the artist’s efforts in his practical designs, where recently he has entrusted his new artistic ideas into a newfound research of art nouveau. “OF NEWFOUND DRAWINGS” is a section curated by Omar Galliani, a protagonist of contemporary art. His work, inspired by Antonio Fontanesi’s drawings from the Museum, will be displayed in exhibition with a selection of papers made in the 70’s that are in fierce relation with some ancient drawings and ten tablets from Gian Ruggero Manzoni’s poetry book, “In the vortex of superior waters”.
FICTIONS Of particular significance is the body of scenographic drawings, that span an arc of time from the end of the 17th century to the middle of the 19th century. They prove 41