Page 13 - A Homage to Giovanni Boccaccio by Petru Rusu

illustrated all the tales on 100 plates two years later. He printed the edition of Artistic Interpretations of
10 impressions per plate himself. Initially, he worked with finely drawn black
lines and brown-toned aquatint, printing 3 to 5 impressions of each plate in Boccaccio’s Decameron
these subdued colors. As he continued working, he started adding stronger Exploring the Visual Legacy of
colors in aquatint.
Boccaccio’s Masterpiece.
Russu preferred using iron plates for illustrating the Decameron, believing
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
Sandro Botticelli, the renowned Italian Quattrocento painter, created
preferred for engravings. Petru explained that the edges of his plates were
several works illustrating stories from the Decameron. His depiction
intentionally irregular and crooked to simulate the condition and appearance
of Nastagio degli Onesti is particularly praised. This series illustrates
of an original edition of the tales. He envisioned they would have been
the fifth story of the Fourth Day (the Hell of Cruel Lovers), where a
printed on vellum or early handmade paper without even, ruler-straight
young man, unrequited in his love for a lady, witnesses a gentleman
edges. The broad, deeply bitten lines in the plate that sit massively on
and two mastiffs chasing another young man, who ultimately offers
the paper’s surface result from repeatedly dipping the prepared plate into
his heart to feed the dogs. These paintings were created in 1483
sulfuric acid.
using mixed media on wood and are part of the Florentine school.
They are currently housed in the Museo del Prado in Madrid.
Over time, Petru Russu also changed his technique. Early plates featured fine,
nervously vibrating lines that crisscrossed the plate or ran parallel. Gradually, Other prominent artists, such as Pisanello, Pesellino, Signorelli,
these sensitive lines gave way to single, strong cords, solidly incised into the Ghirlandaio, Filippino Lippi, and Carpaccio, have also reinterpreted
plate and solidly stacked on the paper, surrounding the aquatinted areas like the Decameron in their works. Their interpretations highlight the
a wall. enduring appeal and influence of Boccaccio’s stories across different
artistic mediums and generations. One notable modern interpretation
Deciphering the eroticism of the iconography was challenging. One might is John William Waterhouse’s famous painting, A Tale from the
even be tempted to reread Boccaccio’s tales. Petru Russu provides an image Decameron. Additionally, frescoes depicting scenes from the
of 14th-century Italian life by weaving certain artifacts into his graphic tale. Decameron adorn rooms in ancient Italian castles, exterior walls of
Checkerboard tablecloths, wine glasses, rigged sailing vessels, horsemen houses in Stein am Rhein in Canton Schaffhausen, and Renaissance
and horsewomen, and period headgear appear throughout the prints in furniture. Over the centuries, numerous illustrated editions of the
various forms. Men and women are barely humanoid; heads, torsos, and Decameron have been produced, such as the magnificent collection
limbs float in space, disconnected yet making sense and fitting together. by Celedonio Perellón, featuring over one hundred etchings and
Banquet tables with checkered tablecloths are overturned, wine glasses illustrations.
have fallen down unbroken, and wine flows out, a real orgy. One head with
a Cocteau-like profile is barely connected to a 20th-century necktie. Limbs Contemporary artists like Salvador Dalí, Giacomo Manzù, Renato
terminate in stumps, clumps, or geometric finials. The anthropomorphic Guttuso, Marc Chagall, Masuo Ikeda, and Petru Russu have drawn
shapes in prehistoric caves come to mind. inspiration from the Decameron to create some of their compositions.
These modern interpretations continue to explore and celebrate
Petru Russu, the printmaker, forces viewers to return to his prints and try the timeless themes and stories of Boccaccio’s masterpiece. The
to interpret the meaning of their iconography. While they are immediately Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio, paired with the enchanting
attractive visually, they demand more attention in the long run. illustrations by Petru Russu and other artists, offers a rich visual
and literary experience. It stands as a must-see and must-read for
An analysis of Boccaccio’s Decameron and an examination of Enrico Crispolti (Italian art critic, anyone interested in the Italian Renaissance and the enduring power
curator and art historian) and Ingrid Rose, (The Washington Print Club, Washington DC), critical
essays, published for the opening of Petru Russu’s exhibition interpreting Giovanni Boccaccio’s of storytelling.
Decameron in 100 engravings (The Romanian Academy in Rome, Italy 1986). 13