Raúl Rosarivo
Encyclopedia
Raúl Mario Rosarivo born in Buenos Aires
, Argentina
, was a typographer
, researcher, designer, poet, painter and illustrator, known for his work in the analysis of the Gutenberg Bible
s. He held the position of General Director of the Buenos Aires Provincial Graphic Workshops (Talleres Gráficos de la Provincia de Buenos Aires)
Rosarivo, in his Divina proporción tipográfica ("Typographical Divine Proportion"), first published in 1947, analyzed Renaissance books with the help of compass and ruler and described the use of the "número de oro" (golden number), by which he meant the ratio 2:3, in books produced by Gutenberg (as well as Peter Schöffer
, Nicolas Jenson
, and others). According to Rosarivo himself, his work and assertion that Gutenberg used the "golden number" (or "secret number" as Rosarivo also called it) to establish the harmonic relationships between the diverse parts of his printed works, was analyzed by experts at the Gutenberg Museum
and re-published in the Gutenberg Jahrbuch, its official magazine.
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, was a typographer
Typography
Typography is the art and technique of arranging type in order to make language visible. The arrangement of type involves the selection of typefaces, point size, line length, leading , adjusting the spaces between groups of letters and adjusting the space between pairs of letters...
, researcher, designer, poet, painter and illustrator, known for his work in the analysis of the Gutenberg Bible
Gutenberg Bible
The Gutenberg Bible was the first major book printed with a movable type printing press, and marked the start of the "Gutenberg Revolution" and the age of the printed book. Widely praised for its high aesthetic and artistic qualities, the book has an iconic status...
s. He held the position of General Director of the Buenos Aires Provincial Graphic Workshops (Talleres Gráficos de la Provincia de Buenos Aires)
Rosarivo, in his Divina proporción tipográfica ("Typographical Divine Proportion"), first published in 1947, analyzed Renaissance books with the help of compass and ruler and described the use of the "número de oro" (golden number), by which he meant the ratio 2:3, in books produced by Gutenberg (as well as Peter Schöffer
Peter Schöffer
Peter Schöffer or Petrus Schoeffer was an early German printer, who studied in Paris and worked as a manuscript copyist in 1451 before apprenticing with Johannes Gutenberg and joining Johann Fust, a goldsmith, lawyer, and money lender.-Life and works:Working for Fust, Schöffer was the principal...
, Nicolas Jenson
Nicolas Jenson
Nicolas Jenson was a French engraver, pioneer printer and type designer who carried out most of his work in Venice. Jenson acted as Master of the French Royal Mint at Tours, and is accredited with being the creator of the first model roman type...
, and others). According to Rosarivo himself, his work and assertion that Gutenberg used the "golden number" (or "secret number" as Rosarivo also called it) to establish the harmonic relationships between the diverse parts of his printed works, was analyzed by experts at the Gutenberg Museum
Gutenberg Museum
The Gutenberg Museum is one of the oldest museums of printing in the world, located opposite the cathedral in the old part of Mainz, Germany. It is named after Johann Gutenberg, the inventor of printing from moveable metal type...
and re-published in the Gutenberg Jahrbuch, its official magazine.
Spanish
- Divina proporción tipográfica, La Plata, Argentina (1953). Previous editions: 1948 and 1947. Brief discussion about his work, is available online in Spanish
- Romances de Medianoche - Kraft, Buenos Aires, 1943. Collection of poems.
- Cómo Formar el Espíritu de la Imprenta, Buenos Aires, 1946
- De la Unidad Artística del Libro. Consideraciones críticas y ensayo de una técnica racional para uso de diagramaciones gráficas. Semca, Buenos Aires, 1947.
- Crónica de Johann Gutenberg, Cámara de Industriales Gráfios de la Argentina (CIGA), Buenos Aires, 1955.
- Historia General del Libro Impreso - Ediciones Áureas, Buenos Aires, 1964.
German
- Die Masszahl 1,5 als esthätische Norm tipographischer Grössenverhältnisse, Professor Raúl Rosarivo, Buenos Aires, Argentinien. Übersetzung: Heinz H. Schmiedt (Der Druckspiegel, Stuttgart,1957).
- Goldene Proportionen des "Psalteriums". von Fust und Schöffer, mit drei Abbildungen von Professor Raúl Rosarivo, Buenos Aires, Argentinien (Gutenberg Jahrbuch, Mainz, 1958).
- Das Buch vom Goldenen Typografischen Modul 1:1,5. Das Modul von Johann Gutenberg und seiner Zeitgenossen in der Proportion 2:3. Übersetzt aus dem spanischen von Heinz Nieth. Bearbeitung der deutschen Ausgabe von Hermann Zapf. Scherpe Verlag, Krefeld, 1961.
External links
- celebrating his life and work of R. M. Rosarivo
- Complete works of R. M. Rosarivo