Five New Art Books: From Gentrification to Japanese Cat Myths

Five noteworthy art books have been released in Italy, spanning photography, illustration, Renaissance theory, and Japanese folklore. Angela Cappetta's "Glendalis: La vita e il mondo di una figlia minore" (L'Artiere Edizioni, 2024, €70) documents a multigenerational family in New York's Lower East Side before gentrification, drawing from the artist's own childhood. "Adriatico. Mare d'inverno" (Artem, 2024, €30) edited by Cristiana Colli explores the Adriatic Sea through 11 themes, 7 regions, 6 port cities, and 21 small capitals, with contributions from 38 authors. Emiliano Ponzi's "Work in Progress" (Corraini Edizioni, 2024, €23) marks his shift from digital to analog painting, with essays by Maria Vittoria Baravelli, Steven Heller, and Damiano Gullì. Alberto Giorgio Cassani and Ornella Crotti's "Leon Battista Alberti: la forza della Bellezza e la ricerca Concinnitas" (Oligo Editore, 2024, €18) examines Alberti's concepts of beauty and concinnitas as moral meditation. Zack Davisson's "Kaibyō. I gatti soprannaturali del Giappone" (Mimesis, 2024, €16) delves into Japanese cat folklore, including bakeneko and nekomata.