Mattia Jona La Portantina +39 02 8053315 mattjona@mattiajona.com


 
LUIGI CONCONI
(Milan 1852 - 1917)
CARLO PORTA (1775-1821), ante1900

Etching, (acquaforte monotipata), before 1902; a fine impression of the only state, skillfully printed with black ink, on Chine appliqué. Signed LConconi in pencil, titled by another hand Carlo Porta. With large margins, paper slightly foxed and backed with Japan; otherwise in good condition. To the platemark 282 x 165 mm, the entire sheet measuring 506 x 386 mm. See M. Bianchi, G. Ginex, Luigi Conconi incisore, Milan, 1994; cat. no. 50.
The most famous writer in Milanese dialect, the poet Carlo Porta, was beloved by the artists of Scapigliatura. The poet has been portrayed here by Conconi in piazza del Verziere, the traditional greengrocery street market of Milan.

Conconi studied architecture at the Accademia di Brera and the Politecnico di Milano. He came into contact with members of the literary and artistic circles of the Scapigliatura – the Italian equivalent of the French Bohème– notably Tranquillo Cremona and Daniele Ranzoni, both of whom influenced his early paintings. In the 1880s Conconi moved from the Realism of Scapigliatura toward Symbolism. The awards he received in Paris in 1900 and Munich in 1913 led to his international recognition.
Conconi, who personally saw to the production of virtually all his plates, was the leading exponent in Lombardy of Acquaforte monotipata. This technique involved the artist drawing directly onto the ink covering the plate, prior to pulling the impression. In this way each resultant print has different characteristics.