The work of Roman printmaker Paolo Fidanza is being showcased in the Lockhart Gallery on Main Street. This is the first known public exhibition of Fidanza's prints in the U.S.
School of the Arts professor Lynette Bosch worked with student curators to make the exhibition possible. Curators included: Pam Elder, alumna; Lauren Recny, '10; Laura Palmer, '10; and seniors Corinne Smith and Olivia Cammisa-Frost.
Fidanza, born in Italy in 1731, specialized in making reproductive prints of famous frescoes and paintings. "While prints were, from their inception in the early 15th century, considered to be an independent artistic and expressive medium of original invention, the reproductive print was a functional aspect of printmaking that enabled the propagation of works of art through the reproduction of either entire compositions or details of compositions," Bosch wrote.
Printmakers were challenged with the job of accurately rendering the images while also attempting to capture the different styles of the images' original artists.
According to Bosch, prints were collected as a means to understanding the original work, and also as souvenirs of work seen on the collector's trip.
The Lockhart Gallery is located at 26 Main St. in Geneseo. Gallery hours are Tuesday – Thursday 12:30 – 3:30 p.m. and Friday – Saturday from 1 – 5 p.m.
TOP: "Idea of a monster named Mandricardo, who is painted as a dwarf belonging to the Emperor Constantine, as seen represented by Raphael at the Vatican"
As with Fidanza's other works, Mandricardo is portrayed using a heavy amount of cross-hatching. A linear pattern repeats almost entirely throughout, colliding with the curved and spiraling lines that give it its extremely expressive quality. His expression, the deep wrinkles around his eyes, and his mouth, which could be interpreted as either open or closed, give this particular work a lot of emotion and character.
MIDDLE: "Representation of a Venus rendered by Guido Reni in a painting that is now in the Excellent Gallery of the Colonna Family"
The rendering in this piece is especially impressive in Venus's hair, and less so in her skin, appearing heavy handed under the eyes and strangely textured in the chest. However, this is possibly due to the skin's smoothness and the direction of light. When compared to the original painting by Reni, Venus's head is facing the opposite direction, but it is clear that she is the same woman.
BOTTOM: "Two apostles rendered by Raphael of Urbino in the painting of the Transfiguration in S. Pietro a Montorio"
Fidanza captured Raphael's two apostles in stunning detail, especially in respect to the one on the viewer's right. It is clear that they are the same portraits from the original study. In the print, however, the light source has been shifted slightly and a higher attention to detail is paid in the face to the right, implying that the elder apostle carries more significance than the younger.