The Departure of the Argonaut by Savinio, Alberto [Andrea Francesco Alberto deChirico] (Author); Scrivani, George (Translator); Clemente, Francesco (Artist) - 1986

(London): Petersburg Press, 1986. Limited Edition. Soft cover. Fine. Clemente, Francesco. No. 98 of 200, total 288, double elephant size, signed by artist Francesco Clemente. In this volume, Clemente has illuminated Alberto Savinio's (1891-1952) autobiographical wartime voyage in 1917. By overlaying words with brightly coloured images and colours, Clemente creates an energy and rhythm to augment the author's expansive musings. Clemente used an considerable range of lithographic techniques including stones, aluminum plates, and acetates. He drew with standard litho crayons and tuesche, but also used graphite and graphite washes, rapidographs and pen and ink, transfer paper and various blotting techniques, achieving a remarkable variety of visual effects (n.b., info from Museum of Modern Art, 1986).

Acting as a dark shaman of the post-modern era while reacting against the dominance of increasing abstraction in preceding generations, Francesco Clemente (b. 1952) helped reinvigorate painting by using recognizable human figures as his primary subject. In idiosyncratic and arresting images, he uses Neo-Expressionist techniques to represent late twentieth century people and their psychological conditions - fundamentally questioning what is real and what is of value to the human spirit. Clemente depicts many of the darker, unspoken or conflicting psychological aspects of being human, significantly updating earlier art movements of the late modern era, drawing on Surrealism's dream-like extensions and transgressions of ordinary daily life, and building on Expressionism's revelations of interior emotional states (N. B., info from The Art Story).

___DESCRIPTION: This volume is beautifully soft-bound in cream Okawara paper with black and red text, includes 61 hand-printed lithographs (46 in colour and 15 in black and white) by Francesco Clemente on cream French-fold Okawara 60 gsm mold made Kozo paper, rough-cut on top and bottom edges; unpaginated, double elephant size (25.75" tall), signed by artist Francesco Clemente, Limited edition no. 98 of 200, total 288; Translator's Notes laid in; clamshell box bound in cream linen, embossed image on the cover.

___CONDITION: Book, Translator's Notes, and box are all in fine condition with no scuffs, markings, or wear; clean and as new, entirely free of prior owner markings.

___POSTAGE: Due to size and weight, additional postage will apply; we are happy to ship at cost to both domestic and international customers, please inquire for details.

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