Luigi Bartolini (1892-1963) - Chi entra e chi non c'entra

This work is an original etching by Luigi Bartolini (Cupramontana, 1892 – Rome, 1963), one of the most important and influential Italian etchers of the 20th century.
Here is the detailed analysis of the elements of the work:
1. Technical Data and Signatures
Author and Dating: The plate is signed and dated in the lower center by the author himself: L. Bartolini 1948. Counter-signature: There is the autograph pencil signature on the lower margin of the paper (below the plate imprint): Luigi Bartolini. Dimensions: as reported on the back of the frame, the plate or sheet measures 40 x 33.5 cm.
2. Subject and Inserted Text
The work graphically reinterprets the famous fable by Aesop / Fedro "The Fox and the Stork" (or more probably The Wolf and the Stork given the aggressive build of the animal on the left). Bartolini merges the fable narrative with a satirical-existential or political reflection typical of his pungent poetics, engraving the text directly onto the plate in italics:
Main title (top): «there are those who fit in and those who don’t» (graphic variant of "there are those who fit in and those who don’t", a famous existential motto of his about the misunderstanding of the artistic world or about inclusion and exclusion dynamics).
Text on the left: «in the sanctuary of purities there are those who enter and those who don’t—the fatal rule! beautiful rules!»
3. Evaluation and Historical Context
Luigi Bartolini’s etchings made around the 1940s and 1950s are extremely sought after by 20th-century graphic collectors. This narrative thread, characterized by a gnarly, dense, expressive and at times "dark" line, represents the expressive apex of his artistic maturity. The preservation of the sheet, mounted and provided with both a plate signature and an original autograph pencil signature, certifies its authenticity and its historical-artistic interest."