LAST COPY. Over 250 glorious colour and B&W illustrations. Click for larger image ...
Samuel Pepys | 
The Sphere 8 Nov 1913 | 
Lady Macbeth |
Jemima | 
Zenobia Palmyra | 
Cubiculum The Runner |
Matador | 
The Sphere 15 August 1914 | 
Soldier and girlfriend |
The Illustration Art Gallery presents 96 glorious pages of original Matania art and prints with OVER 250 IMAGES (including some 125 illustrations not featured in our art book
Drawing from History: The Forgotten Art of Fortunino Matania).
Born in Naples in 1881, Fortunino Matania trained at his father's studio and illustrated his first book at the age of 14. He studied in Paris, Milan and London, where he worked on The Graphic. He returned to Italy at the age of 22 for military service in the Bersaglieri. He then returned to London where he joined the staff of The Sphere.
With the outbreak of World War I he became a war artist and spent nearly five years at the front drawing hundreds of sketches. His work was admired by military experts and critics alike for his technical accomplishment and scrupulous accuracy. His war art features in virtually every history or encyclopaedia of WW1 ever produced.
At the end of World War I Matania illustrated numerous ceremonies in London, including the coronation of Edward VII. During the first half of the 20th century he literally illustrated history as it happened. He was made a Chevalier of the Crown of Italy, and exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy and The Royal Institute of Art.
In his studio he maintained an enormous collection of artefacts to aid him in his work. He rarely made preliminary sketches, preferring to begin an elaborate illustration without previous preparation. It was as if he had a exact mental photograph of the art before he began to paint or draw. His reputation was such that he was visited in his studio in London by Annigoni, Russell Flint, and John Singer Sargent, and his work is collected and admired by many of today's greatest artists and illustrators.
He was an expert at historical scenes from all periods of history and his Ancient Roman and classical illustrations are particularly admired and collected. During WW2, many of his paintings and drawings were destroyed when his studio was bombed in the Blitz. He was so prolific, however, that many examples of his art still survive.
His pictures were published every week in Illustrazione Italiana from 1895 - 1902, in The Graphic from 1901 - 1904, and in The Sphere from 1904 to 1963. He also contributed regularly to Britannia & Eve, and The Passing Show, where his Edgar Rice Burroughs illustrations appeared amongst others. His work has been used in numerous magazines and books such as Look & Learn, London Life and many others.
This 96 page book features over 250 illustrations of original art and prints, all available for sale from The Illustration Art Gallery. Acquired over a 15 year period the art presented here was used in preparation of the giant art book
Drawing from History: The Forgotten Art of Fortunino Matania. Due to space considerations, some 125 of the illustrations herein were omitted from the art book.
This is an ideal companion and a major art retrospective as well as being a useful reference and shopping list of art available to own. A
Book Palace Books publication.
Authors: Various
Artist: Fortunino Matania
Publisher: Book Palace Books, October 2016 First Edition (Out of Print)
Number of pages: 96
Format: Soft Cover; Part Colour illustrations
Size: 9" x 11" (216mm x 280mm)
ISBN: 9781907081323
Condition: M - Mint
You might be interested in these related item(s):
ART by Fortunino Matania
BOOKS featuring Matania's work
