DOI Heft:
Nr. 144 (March 1905)
DOI Artikel:Pica, Vittorio: Two italian draughtsmen: Alfredo Baruffi and Alberto Martini
DOI Seite / Zitierlink:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.20711#0155
Two Italian Draughtsmen
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BOOK-PLATE BY A. BARUFFI
crated to the same end ; and in a short time, his
marvellous perseverance aiding his natural gifts of
eye and hand, he succeeded in completely master-
ing his technique.
In a few years, working alternately at oils, water-
colours, tempera and Indian-ink, he had produced,
with extraordinary facility of invention, a most varied
amount of work both in pure and applied art.
On first contemplating the graceful but too
facile and abundant production of Baruffi's early
years, one's first feeling is that of regret for the
almost criminal waste of so much promising
aesthetic material. But, considering the fine
quality of his more recent work, one becomes
convinced that this first stage was not without its
use. In fact this exuberance seems to have been
partly owing to a well-nigh frantic reaction against
the prosaic existence of a clerk condemned to
the sordid region of figures, for in a few years it
had moderated and become chastened. His
latest work is an advance on all that preceded it,
both in conception and technique, for his experi-
ments in all the various fields of reality and
imagination have given him that extensive know-
ledge of form which is so useful in the work of an
illustrator.
Without therefore spending time over the dis-
cussion of the immature though not uninteresting
efforts of his early youth, I will draw my reader's
attention to the work of Baruffi's later years, during
which what we may justly regard as his three great
gifts have been strengthened and developed :
these are poetic insight, symbolic vision, and a
special sense of aptness to book-illustration.
This second more finely-tempered manner first
showed itself in some designs made by Banrffi for
the illustrated edition of the Divina Corn-media,
recently published by Alinari, of Florence ; these
were executed with pen-and-ink, in simple outline
of that xylographic character which harmonises so
well with the printed page. The initial letters
designed by him for the album of Novissima
for last year, and for the fourth volume of
Attraverso gli Albi e k Cartelle, were also in
this xylographic style, though more purely orna-
mental ; and they show, as does almost all Baruffi's
latest work, that he considers this definitely typo-
graphic character peculiarly fitted for the illustra-
tion of printed matter, so that the pages may
preserve a well-balanced appearance.
Among Baruffi's latest works should be mentioned
three book-plates worthy of figuring beside those ot
the English Ricketts, of the German Sattler, and
of the Belgian Khnopff and Rassenfosse; and also
a series of mountain landscapes and pastoral scenes,
executed without re-touching and strictly from
139
=EX-UBWS-(1NQEUWEflCfl^l5-
BOOK-PLATE BY A. BARUFFI
crated to the same end ; and in a short time, his
marvellous perseverance aiding his natural gifts of
eye and hand, he succeeded in completely master-
ing his technique.
In a few years, working alternately at oils, water-
colours, tempera and Indian-ink, he had produced,
with extraordinary facility of invention, a most varied
amount of work both in pure and applied art.
On first contemplating the graceful but too
facile and abundant production of Baruffi's early
years, one's first feeling is that of regret for the
almost criminal waste of so much promising
aesthetic material. But, considering the fine
quality of his more recent work, one becomes
convinced that this first stage was not without its
use. In fact this exuberance seems to have been
partly owing to a well-nigh frantic reaction against
the prosaic existence of a clerk condemned to
the sordid region of figures, for in a few years it
had moderated and become chastened. His
latest work is an advance on all that preceded it,
both in conception and technique, for his experi-
ments in all the various fields of reality and
imagination have given him that extensive know-
ledge of form which is so useful in the work of an
illustrator.
Without therefore spending time over the dis-
cussion of the immature though not uninteresting
efforts of his early youth, I will draw my reader's
attention to the work of Baruffi's later years, during
which what we may justly regard as his three great
gifts have been strengthened and developed :
these are poetic insight, symbolic vision, and a
special sense of aptness to book-illustration.
This second more finely-tempered manner first
showed itself in some designs made by Banrffi for
the illustrated edition of the Divina Corn-media,
recently published by Alinari, of Florence ; these
were executed with pen-and-ink, in simple outline
of that xylographic character which harmonises so
well with the printed page. The initial letters
designed by him for the album of Novissima
for last year, and for the fourth volume of
Attraverso gli Albi e k Cartelle, were also in
this xylographic style, though more purely orna-
mental ; and they show, as does almost all Baruffi's
latest work, that he considers this definitely typo-
graphic character peculiarly fitted for the illustra-
tion of printed matter, so that the pages may
preserve a well-balanced appearance.
Among Baruffi's latest works should be mentioned
three book-plates worthy of figuring beside those ot
the English Ricketts, of the German Sattler, and
of the Belgian Khnopff and Rassenfosse; and also
a series of mountain landscapes and pastoral scenes,
executed without re-touching and strictly from
139