Lorenzo Mattotti
Encyclopedia
Lorenzo Mattotti is an Italian
comics
and graphical artist as well as an illustrator. His illustrations have been published in magazines such as Cosmopolitan
, Vogue
, The New Yorker
, Le Monde
and Vanity Fair
. In comics, Mattotti won an Eisner Award
in 2003 for his
Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde graphic novel
.
(Lombardy
).
He studied architecture
when he was young, but did not finish the course. Instead he became a comics artist. After a few traditional comic stories he decided he wanted to tell different kinds of stories and portray these in a different style
.
Il Signor Spartaco was the first comic made under this ambition. The story centred around the dreams of a train passenger making it possible for Mattotti to use forms and colors in a way previously unseen in the classic French-Belgian comic world. He focused more on the inner world of his characters en the total absence of an adventure was also a radical change in the comics universe.
Mattotti is mainly inspired by painters, musicians, writers and directors
. To him, the relation between text and image
should be the same as with text and music. The two should enrich each other. Unusually, in Mattotti's comics the text illustrates the illustration
instead of the other way around. He always makes sure the text has enough freedom for multiple interpretations.
With Fires (1986) Mattotti made his name in the comics world. The story revolves around the struggle between nature
and civilization
. The main character is a crew member of a pantser ship who has to make sure a mysterious island is ready for civilization. Dreams and associations again play an important role. Although Fires has a clear story line, Mattotti evades an explicit, chronological story. The inner battle
of the main character to change and get out of his strict environment
is more important. Graphically the album is a highlight in his artistic career: he worked six years on the book, which resembles a gallery of paintings.
After "Fires" Mattotti earned a reputation of being a master of color in comics. Therefore, the black and white comic "The Man at the Window" (1992) surprised his public. Together with his ex-wife Lilia Ambrosi he made this comic about a man who searches his way in the world and who has troubles with relationships. This semi-autobiographical novel is an intense and sensitive comic in which he uses different outings for pen
drawings. He uses lines who as a text tell a story. The story is not so important and completely up to the reader to interpret.
In Caboto (1992), a comic book he drew as a commission from the Spanish
government to commemorate the 500th birthday of Christopher Columbus
' discovery of America
, he tells the adventures of the explorer Sebastian Cabot
. The story is poetic in tone and revolves around the fears and dreams of the people involved, including the women aboard the explorers' ship and the impressions the Indians
might have had when first viewing the ships. Inspired by 16th century mannerism
, he used a different style.
Stigmates (1998) was a new black and white comic with linear drawings, but darker and more nervous than The Man In The Window. It tells the tragic life of a drunk who wakes up one day with stigmata
.
Apart from his comics Mattotti found fame as an illustrator
.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
comics
Comics
Comics denotes a hybrid medium having verbal side of its vocabulary tightly tied to its visual side in order to convey narrative or information only, the latter in case of non-fiction comics, seeking synergy by using both visual and verbal side in...
and graphical artist as well as an illustrator. His illustrations have been published in magazines such as Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan (magazine)
Cosmopolitan is an international magazine for women. It was first published in 1886 in the United States as a family magazine, was later transformed into a literary magazine and eventually became a women's magazine in the late 1960s...
, Vogue
Vogue (magazine)
Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine that is published monthly in 18 national and one regional edition by Condé Nast.-History:In 1892 Arthur Turnure founded Vogue as a weekly publication in the United States. When he died in 1909, Condé Montrose Nast picked up the magazine and slowly began...
, The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, Le Monde
Le Monde
Le Monde is a French daily evening newspaper owned by La Vie-Le Monde Group and edited in Paris. It is one of two French newspapers of record, and has generally been well respected since its first edition under founder Hubert Beuve-Méry on 19 December 1944...
and Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
. In comics, Mattotti won an Eisner Award
Eisner Award
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, and sometimes referred to as the Oscar Awards of the Comics Industry, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books. The Eisner Awards were first conferred in 1988, created in response to the...
in 2003 for his
Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
.
Biography
Mattotti was born in BresciaBrescia
Brescia is a city and comune in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, between the Mella and the Naviglio, with a population of around 197,000. It is the second largest city in Lombardy, after the capital, Milan...
(Lombardy
Lombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...
).
He studied architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
when he was young, but did not finish the course. Instead he became a comics artist. After a few traditional comic stories he decided he wanted to tell different kinds of stories and portray these in a different style
Design
Design as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan...
.
Il Signor Spartaco was the first comic made under this ambition. The story centred around the dreams of a train passenger making it possible for Mattotti to use forms and colors in a way previously unseen in the classic French-Belgian comic world. He focused more on the inner world of his characters en the total absence of an adventure was also a radical change in the comics universe.
Mattotti is mainly inspired by painters, musicians, writers and directors
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
. To him, the relation between text and image
Image
An image is an artifact, for example a two-dimensional picture, that has a similar appearance to some subject—usually a physical object or a person.-Characteristics:...
should be the same as with text and music. The two should enrich each other. Unusually, in Mattotti's comics the text illustrates the illustration
Illustration
An illustration is a displayed visualization form presented as a drawing, painting, photograph or other work of art that is created to elucidate or dictate sensual information by providing a visual representation graphically.- Early history :The earliest forms of illustration were prehistoric...
instead of the other way around. He always makes sure the text has enough freedom for multiple interpretations.
With Fires (1986) Mattotti made his name in the comics world. The story revolves around the struggle between nature
Nature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...
and civilization
Civilization
Civilization is a sometimes controversial term that has been used in several related ways. Primarily, the term has been used to refer to the material and instrumental side of human cultures that are complex in terms of technology, science, and division of labor. Such civilizations are generally...
. The main character is a crew member of a pantser ship who has to make sure a mysterious island is ready for civilization. Dreams and associations again play an important role. Although Fires has a clear story line, Mattotti evades an explicit, chronological story. The inner battle
Battle
Generally, a battle is a conceptual component in the hierarchy of combat in warfare between two or more armed forces, or combatants. In a battle, each combatant will seek to defeat the others, with defeat determined by the conditions of a military campaign...
of the main character to change and get out of his strict environment
Social environment
The social environment of an individual, also called social context or milieu, is the culture that s/he was educated or lives in, and the people and institutions with whom the person interacts....
is more important. Graphically the album is a highlight in his artistic career: he worked six years on the book, which resembles a gallery of paintings.
After "Fires" Mattotti earned a reputation of being a master of color in comics. Therefore, the black and white comic "The Man at the Window" (1992) surprised his public. Together with his ex-wife Lilia Ambrosi he made this comic about a man who searches his way in the world and who has troubles with relationships. This semi-autobiographical novel is an intense and sensitive comic in which he uses different outings for pen
Pen
A pen is a device used to apply ink to a surface, usually paper, for writing or drawing. Historically, reed pens, quill pens, and dip pens were used, with a nib of some sort to be dipped in the ink. Ruling pens allow precise adjustment of line width, and still find a few specialized uses, but...
drawings. He uses lines who as a text tell a story. The story is not so important and completely up to the reader to interpret.
In Caboto (1992), a comic book he drew as a commission from the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
government to commemorate the 500th birthday of Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
' discovery of America
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
, he tells the adventures of the explorer Sebastian Cabot
Sebastian Cabot (explorer)
Sebastian Cabot was an explorer, born in the Venetian Republic.-Origins:...
. The story is poetic in tone and revolves around the fears and dreams of the people involved, including the women aboard the explorers' ship and the impressions the Indians
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
might have had when first viewing the ships. Inspired by 16th century mannerism
Mannerism
Mannerism is a period of European art that emerged from the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520. It lasted until about 1580 in Italy, when a more Baroque style began to replace it, but Northern Mannerism continued into the early 17th century throughout much of Europe...
, he used a different style.
Stigmates (1998) was a new black and white comic with linear drawings, but darker and more nervous than The Man In The Window. It tells the tragic life of a drunk who wakes up one day with stigmata
Stigmata
Stigmata are bodily marks, sores, or sensations of pain in locations corresponding to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus, such as the hands and feet...
.
Apart from his comics Mattotti found fame as an illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
.
Comics
- Il Signor Spartaco (1982)
- Incidenti (1984)
- Fires (1986 ) Published in English by Penguin Books
- Labyrinthes (1988, with Jerry Kramsky) Published in English by Penguin Books in a translation by Frank WynneFrank WynneFrank Wynne is an Irish literary translator and writer.Born in Co. Sligo, Ireland, he worked as a comics editor at Fleetway and later at Deadline magazine . He worked for a time at AOL before becoming a literary translator...
- Murmur (1989) Published in English by Penguin Books in a translation by Frank WynneFrank WynneFrank Wynne is an Irish literary translator and writer.Born in Co. Sligo, Ireland, he worked as a comics editor at Fleetway and later at Deadline magazine . He worked for a time at AOL before becoming a literary translator...
- Doctor Nefasto (1989, with Jerry Kramsky)
- Caboto (1992, with Jorge Zentner)
- L'Uomo alla Finestra (1992, with Lilia Ambrosi)
- L'Arbre du Penseur (1997)
- Stigmate (1998, with Claudio Piersanti)
- Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde (2002, with Jerry Kramsky)
- El rumor de la escarcha (2003, with Jorge Zentner)
Art portfolios/books
- Ligne Fragile (1999)
- Posters (2002)
- Angkor: Drawings Pastels Watercolors (2003)
- La Chambre (2004)
Awards
- 1992: nominated for Best German-language Comic/Comic-related Publication at the Max & Moritz PrizesMax & Moritz PrizesThe Max & Moritz Prize is a prize for comic books, comic strips, and other similar materials which has been awarded at each of the biennial International Comics Shows of Erlangen since 1984...
, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... - 1998: Inkpot AwardInkpot AwardThe Inkpot Award, bestowed annually since 1974 by Comic-Con International, is given to some of the professionals in comic book, comic strip, animation, science fiction, and related pop-culture fields, who are guests of that organization's yearly multigenre fan convention, commonly known as...
, U.S.United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... - 2003: Eisner AwardEisner AwardThe Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, and sometimes referred to as the Oscar Awards of the Comics Industry, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books. The Eisner Awards were first conferred in 1988, created in response to the...
for Best U.S. Edition of Foreign Material, USA
-
- - nominated for the Artwork AwardAngoulême International Comics Festival Prize for ArtworkThis Prize for Artwork is awarded to comics authors at the Angoulême International Comics Festival.As is the customary practice in Wikipedia for listing awards such as Oscar results, the winner of the award for that year is listed first, the others listed below are the nominees.-2000s:* 2002: Le...
at the Angoulême International Comics FestivalAngoulême International Comics FestivalThe Angoulême International Comics Festival is the largest comics festival in Europe. It has occurred every year since 1974 in Angoulême, France, in the month of January.The four-day festival is notable for awarding several prestigious prizes in cartooning...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... - - nominated for Outstanding Artist at the Ignatz AwardsIgnatz AwardsThe Ignatz Awards are intended to recognize outstanding achievements in comics and cartooning by small press creators or creator-owned projects published by larger publishers. They have been awarded each year since 1997, but skipped a year in 2001 due to the show's cancellation after the September...
, USA
- - nominated for the Artwork Award