Page 13 - Petru Russo | The 100 Days of Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio

10 impressions per plate himself. Initially, he worked with finely drawn black Artistic Interpretations of
lines and brown-toned aquatint, printing 3 to 5 impressions of each plate in
these subdued colors. As he continued working, he started adding stronger Boccaccio’s Decameron
colors in aquatint. Exploring the Visual Legacy of

Russo preferred using iron plates for illustrating the Decameron, believing Boccaccio’s Masterpiece.
iron was more suitable than copper or zinc. Zinc plates are often used by
printmakers for etching intaglio prints, while Plexiglas or similar material is

preferred for engravings. Petru explained that the edges of his plates were
Sandro Botticelli, the renowned Italian Quattrocento painter, created
intentionally irregular and crooked to simulate the condition and appearance
several works illustrating stories from the Decameron. His depiction
of an original edition of the tales. He envisioned they would have been
of Nastagio degli Onesti is particularly praised. This series illustrates
printed on vellum or early handmade paper without even, ruler-straight
the fifth story of the Fourth Day (the Hell of Cruel Lovers), where a
edges. The broad, deeply bitten lines in the plate that sit massively on
young man, unrequited in his love for a lady, witnesses a gentleman
the paper’s surface result from repeatedly dipping the prepared plate into
and two mastiffs chasing another young man, who ultimately offers
sulfuric acid.
his heart to feed the dogs. These paintings were created in 1483
using mixed media on wood and are part of the Florentine school.
Over time, Petru Russo also changed his technique. Early plates featured fine, They are currently housed in the Museo del Prado in Madrid.
nervously vibrating lines that crisscrossed the plate or ran parallel. Gradually,
these sensitive lines gave way to single, strong cords, solidly incised into the Other prominent artists, such as Pisanello, Pesellino, Signorelli,
plate and solidly stacked on the paper, surrounding the aquatinted areas like Ghirlandaio, Filippino Lippi, and Carpaccio, have also reinterpreted
a wall. the Decameron in their works. Their interpretations highlight the
enduring appeal and influence of Boccaccio’s stories across different
Deciphering the eroticism of the iconography was challenging. One might artistic mediums and generations. One notable modern interpretation
even be tempted to reread Boccaccio’s tales. Petru Russu provides an image is John William Waterhouse’s famous painting, A Tale from the
of 14th-century Italian life by weaving certain artifacts into his graphic tale. Decameron. Additionally, frescoes depicting scenes from the
Checkerboard tablecloths, wine glasses, rigged sailing vessels, horsemen Decameron adorn rooms in ancient Italian castles, exterior walls of
and horsewomen, and period headgear appear throughout the prints in houses in Stein am Rhein in Canton Schaffhausen, and Renaissance
various forms. Men and women are barely humanoid; heads, torsos, and furniture. Over the centuries, numerous illustrated editions of the
limbs float in space, disconnected yet making sense and fitting together. Decameron have been produced, such as the magnificent collection
Banquet tables with checkered tablecloths are overturned, wine glasses by Celedonio Perellón, featuring over one hundred etchings and
have fallen down unbroken, and wine flows out, a real orgy. One head with illustrations.
a Cocteau-like profile is barely connected to a 20th-century necktie. Limbs
terminate in stumps, clumps, or geometric finials. The anthropomorphic Contemporary artists like Salvador Dalí, Giacomo Manzù, Renato
shapes in prehistoric caves come to mind. Guttuso, Marc Chagall, Masuo Ikeda, and Petru Russo have drawn
inspiration from the Decameron to create some of their compositions.
Petru Russo, the printmaker, forces viewers to return to his prints and try These modern interpretations continue to explore and celebrate
to interpret the meaning of their iconography. While they are immediately the timeless themes and stories of Boccaccio’s masterpiece. The
attractive visually, they demand more attention in the long run. Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio, paired with the enchanting
illustrations by Petru Russu and other artists, offers a rich visual
An analysis of Boccaccio’s Decameron and an examination of Enrico Crispolti (Italian art critic, and literary experience. It stands as a must-see and must-read for
curator and art historian) and Ingrid Rose, (The Washington Print Club, Washington DC), critical
essays, published for the opening of Petru Russo’s exhibition interpreting Giovanni Boccaccio’s anyone interested in the Italian Renaissance and the enduring power
Decameron in 100 engravings (The Romanian Academy in Rome, Italy 1986).
of storytelling.
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