Il mare

Woodcut, circa 1930/40. Size mm 228X184. Sheet: mm 255x200.  Signed at lower left. Below, in pen, signed "Luigi Servolini". At lower left, in pen, the title Il Mare (The Sea). Exemplary numbered 20/80.

Magnificent specimen, on laid paper, applied from the upper corners on coeval cardboard, in excellent condition.

Luigi Servolini (Livorno, 1906 - 1981) One of the great masters of Italian engraving, Luigi Servolini, graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Carrara, then perfecting himself in History of Medieval and Modern Art at the University of Florence. He has held various roles within the Italian academic world and his production as an art critic is also impressive, a profession he did simultaneously with that of engraver. In 1935 he promoted the creation of a Xylograph Museum in Carpi, birthplace of the master Ugo da Carpi (ca 1480 - Rome 1532), inviting Italian xylographers to send their artworks, which today constitute an important nucleus of the museum itself, inaugurated in 1937. Together with Carlo Carrà he founded the association of the Italian engravers. His woodcuts are characterized by a classic cut and a formal order, and are soon recognizable. He has been present in as many as six biennials of Venice and seven four-years of Rome.

Literature

Comanducci A.M. Dizionario illustrato dei pittori, disegnatori e incisori italiani moderni e contemporanei, 1962, Vol. IV, pp. 1789-1790; Francesca Cagianelli, Carlo e Luigi Servolini. L'arte, il pensiero, le tecniche, 2004.