The Ancient Fabriano paper mills will host a polychrome woodcut workshop with 12 RUFA students, supervised by Maria Pina Bentivenga and Umberto Giovannini.
The xylography is a graphic technique invented over a thousand years ago to reproduce texts and drawings in many copies. Since then, the graphic language has evolved, but the privileged relationship with paper has remained at the heart of this fascinating technique. The power and communicativeness of its sign is at the heart of works created from the 14th century onwards, from Dürer and Holbein to Münch, Cezanne, Picasso and contemporary artists. In recent years there has been a resurgence of interest in woodcuts, because it is an ecological technique that uses wood, oil inks and natural essences.
This is why Fabriano wanted to host this project in its spaces, developed together with the international graphics centre Opificio della Rosa, to seal the indissoluble relationship between paper and ink, between craftsmanship and art. The students will work in full immersion for five days experimenting with the various woodcut techniques, seeking a dialogue between the ancient and the contemporary.
For Maria Pina Bentivenga, the love of printing is absolute. It takes shape in pure drawing and etching. Her prints and artist’s books are exhibited in Italy and abroad and are part of collections such as the Albertina in Vienna and the Istituto Nazionale per la Grafica in Rome. She is a founding member of Insignia in Rome, committed to the promotion and production of artists’ books and prints, and is a board member of the Associazione Incisori Contemporanei. She teaches Printmaking at RUFA.
Umberto Giovannini, printmaker, is a lecturer both at Central Saint Martins University of the Arts London, where he directs the Illustration & printmaking course, and an associate professor at RUFA. His etchings, installations and artist’s books are exhibited worldwide. In 2009 he founded the international centre for low environmental impact graphic design Opificio della Rosa.
