Mimmo Paladino Illustrates Boiardo's Orlando Innamorato in New Book
Italian artist Mimmo Paladino, a leading figure of the Transavanguardia movement, has created 30 illustrations for a new book exploring Matteo Maria Boiardo's 1483 chivalric poem 'Orlando Innamorato.' The volume, 'Acque della magia. Matteo Maria Boiardo e L’inamoramento de Orlando' (Metilene edizioni, 2024), is authored by poet and writer Rosita Copioli. The project blends literary criticism and visual art, with Paladino's drawings interpreting the poem's themes, characters, and symbols rather than providing a direct visual transcription. Paladino draws inspiration from his childhood encounters with Sicilian puppetry and folk legends, treating Orlando as a timeless archetype. The book is structured in eleven chapters, each titled after a keyword, with Paladino's images punctuating the narrative. Copioli's text offers a passionate exegesis of Boiardo's work, exploring themes of love, magic, and alchemy, and connecting the poem to Greek myths, Oriental tales, and the chivalric tradition. The publication follows Paladino's previous engagements with Homer's epics and Dante's 'Divine Comedy.'
Key facts
- Mimmo Paladino created 30 illustrations for a book on Boiardo's 'Orlando Innamorato'.
- The book is titled 'Acque della magia. Matteo Maria Boiardo e L’inamoramento de Orlando'.
- The author is Rosita Copioli.
- Publisher is Metilene edizioni, 2024.
- Paladino is a leading Italian artist and a father of the Transavanguardia movement.
- The project combines literary criticism and visual art.
- Paladino previously illustrated Homer's Iliad and Odyssey and Dante's Divine Comedy.
- Boiardo's poem was left unfinished at his death and later inspired Ariosto's 'Orlando Furioso'.
Entities
Artists
- Mimmo Paladino
- Matteo Maria Boiardo
- Rosita Copioli
- Ludovico Ariosto
Institutions
- Metilene edizioni