Adolfo De Carolis (1874-1928) - Il Varo, 1908

Woodcut on two woods with dimensions: 221 x 353 mm; 490 x 320 mm. Painter, engraver and Italian illustrator. He initially trained in Bologna at the Academy of Fine Arts and after obtaining his diploma, in 1892 he moved to Rome. Here he met the poet Nino Costa, founder of the cenacle In arte libertas, which proposed a renewal of art through the rediscovery of the greats of the Quattrocento following the example of the Pre-Raphaelites. De Carolis began to frequent this group and became a member, starting to create paintings with a Pre-Raphaelite imprint. In 1900 he met the poet Giovanni Pascoli, for whom he drew and executed a silver pommel and the plaque for the cane gift from the friends of the Florentine magazine Marzocco; he then began to work on graphic decoration for some of Pascoli’s publications. This collaboration proved important in his artistic production between 1892 and 1928, because the works of this period deal with rural and marine landscapes that bear Pascolian tonality. In 1901 De Carolis left Rome for Florence, where he taught ornament at the Academy of Fine Arts, dedicating himself to wood engraving. This technique would be very dear to him, and he was the first in Italy to revive the ancient technique of chromatic wood engraving with multiple woods. Numerous are the single sheets or illustrations for various magazines and for the works of his friend D’Annunzio. This print is taken from the series devoted to life at sea, composed of six sheets. A subject very dear to the artist for whom he realized not only several sketches but also many photographs. In this sheet, through green and yellow inks on a white background, a boat and several men are depicted. In the foreground on the left, two men standing, with great force, their bodies’ muscles taut, aided by two other heads bent, pull on ropes. In the background, a large vessel is about to set sail; it is being carried into the sea by men caught in various positions, some pushing, some pulling ropes, to make Ausonia, the ship’s name engraved on the side, cut through the waters of the Adriatic. Ausonia is the name Latin poets after the Roman conquest (4th c. BC) gave to all of Italy, and in an article published in Rivista marchigiana illustrata, De Carolis compares the strength and boldness of the fishermen of San Benedetto to the Homeric sailors. In the background, the expanse of the sea to the horizon and the coastline. Excellent impression on smooth ivory paper. Excellent state of preservation. Wide margins beyond the plate edge.

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