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

Two-woodblock (two-block) woodcut, measurements: 221 x 353 mm and 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 cenacolo 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 thus 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 designed and executed a silver knob and a plaque for the cane donated by friends of the Florentine magazine Marzocco; he then began to work on the graphic decoration of some of the poet's publications. This collaboration proved important in his artistic production between 1892 and 1928, because the works of this period deal with pastoral and seascapes that bear Pascolian inflections. 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 among the first in Italy to revive the ancient technique of polychrome woodcut with multiple blocks. Numerous will be the single sheets or illustrations for various magazines and for the works of his friend D'Annunzio. This print is taken from the series dedicated to life at sea, consisting of six sheets. A subject very close to the artist, for whom he produced 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 are two full-length men who, with great exertion, their muscles tensed, aided by two other portraits leaning over, pull on ropes. In the background, a large vessel is about to set sail; it is being carried into the sea by men captured in various positions—who pushes, who pulls on the ropes—to make Ausonia, the ship’s name etched on its side, cleave the waters of the Adriatic. Ausonia is the name Latin poets after the Roman conquest (4th c. BC) attributed to all of Italy, and in an article published in the Rivista marchigiana illustrata, De Carolis compares the strength and audacity of the fishermen of San Benedetto to the Homeric sailors. On the horizon, the vast sea stretching to the horizon and the coast. Excellent impression on smooth ivory paper. Very good condition. Wide margins beyond the plate edge.

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