Massimiliano Longo draws a more mature Alice, a teenager who lives the adventure in Wonderland with a higher consciousness, without loosing the freshness of childhood of Lewis Carroll's Alice. The drawings, made by simple pencil lines, represent scenes rich in details which become almost photographic pictures in the colour plates. The whole characters are very realistic to confirm the idea that at the end of the Rabbit hole begins a Wonderland as real as our land.
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Title: Alice nel Paese delle Meraviglie
Author: Massimiliano Longo, Bokos, Lewis Carroll.
Writer: Bokos Laboratory of experimental translation (translation), Lewis Carroll.
Cover: Coloured hardcover
Collection: La Scala d'Oro
Publisher: De Agostini Editore S.p.A., Via G. da Verrazano 15, 28100, Novara, Italia.
website www.deagostini.it
e-mail: comunicazione.deagostinilibri@deagostini.it, tel:+39 02 38086323.
Edition: 2010, new edition revised and updated in the collection La Scala d'Oro.
Prepress: Grande forEdit, Monza.
Prepress: Grande forEdit, Monza.
Print: printed in 2010 by Grafica Veneta S.p.A. — Trebaseleghe (PD) Italy.
ISBN: 978-88-418-6167-7
€ 12,90
ISBN: 978-88-418-6167-7
€ 12,90
Versione italiana
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Bought on march 8th , 2010 in Bologna
at Libreria delle Moline bookstore,
Via delle Moline, 3.
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Massimiliano Longo's biography.
Massimiliano Longo is an Italian painter, portraitist and illustrator. He was born in Venice in 1954. Massimiliano grew up surrounded by artistic an cultural influences, his mother, in fact, is the painter Amalia Marzato and his father was the biographer and friend of the master Pietro Annigoni. He graduated at Academy of Fine Arts in Venice and started his career as painter at the beginning of eighties. At the same time as his artistic career, in the mid-eighties, Longo began to realize some covers for books. He worked then for famous publisher as Mondadori, Giunti, Panini and De Agostini for which he made the illustrations for different books of the La Scala D'oro collection. Longo also published some books as author and illustrator. He currently lives and works in London.
Massimiliano Longo is an Italian painter, portraitist and illustrator. He was born in Venice in 1954. Massimiliano grew up surrounded by artistic an cultural influences, his mother, in fact, is the painter Amalia Marzato and his father was the biographer and friend of the master Pietro Annigoni. He graduated at Academy of Fine Arts in Venice and started his career as painter at the beginning of eighties. At the same time as his artistic career, in the mid-eighties, Longo began to realize some covers for books. He worked then for famous publisher as Mondadori, Giunti, Panini and De Agostini for which he made the illustrations for different books of the La Scala D'oro collection. Longo also published some books as author and illustrator. He currently lives and works in London.
Some published titles
Baldan, Fabio, Massimiliano Longo, Francesco Marchetto, Danieli Pinni, Maurizio Trentin. Galleria dell'Opera Bevilacqua La Masa, Venezia 5 giugno-18 giugno 1976. Venezia: Opera Bevilacqua La Masa, 1976.Ambrosini, Claudio, Massimiliano Longo, Zdravko Milic. Galleria dell'Opera Bevilacqua La Masa, Venezia 8 agosto-24 agosto 1978. Venezia: Stamperia di Venezia, 1978.
Longo, Massimiliano. Il Ponte di Rialto. Venezia: Arsenale, 1983.
Longo, Massimiliano. Il Ponte di Rialto. Venezia: Arsenale, 1983.
AAVV. Artisti vincitori della borsa di studio Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa : 65. Collettiva: Brigitte Brand; 67. Collettiva: Maurizio Armellin, Mariarita Codello, Riccardo Curti, Antonio De Re, Massimiliano Longo, Loretta Viscuso : 25 agosto-9 settembre 1984, Galleria Bevilacqua La Masa. Venezia: Tipografia Commerciale, 1984.
Gramigna, Silvia, Massimiliano Longo. Capire Venezia. Storia dell'arte e dell'architettura, 1. Venezia : Filippi, 1987.
Tinkler, David, Ilva Tron, Massimiliano Longo. I terribili Twerp. Milano: Mondadori, 1988.Gramigna, Silvia, Massimiliano Longo. Capire Venezia. Storia dell'arte e dell'architettura, 1. Venezia : Filippi, 1987.
Gramigna, Silvia, Annalisa Perissa, Massimiliano Longo. Capire Venezia. Storia dell'arte e dell'architettura, 2. Venezia : Filippi, 1989.
Pearce, Ann Philippa, Francesca Crisigiovanni, Massimiliano Longo. Altamarea per un delitto. Milano : Mondadori, 1990.Follett, Ken, Gianni Padoan, Massimiliano Longo. Il mistero degli studi Kellerman. Milano: Mondadori, 1991.
Longo, Massimiliano. Colorie Les Animaux. S.l.: Piccolia, 1991.
Llewellyn, Sam, Giovanna Spadini, Massimiliano Longo. Alec contro tutti. Milano: Mondadori, 1992.
O'Brien, Robert C., Vittorio Buongiorno, Massimiliano Longo. La corona d'argento. Milano: Mondadori, 1993.
Alcock, Vivien, Adriana Giussani, Massimiliano Longo. Una valigia alla Victoria Station. Milano: Mondadori, 1993.
Boileau, Pierre, T. Narcejac, Francesca Cavattoni, Massimiliano Longo. La canzone della paura. Milano: Mondadori, 1993.
Randolph, Alex, Massimiliano Longo. Il gioco dei gatti: giocatori furbi e simpatici gattini. Treviso: Dal Negro, 1994.
Rossi, Patrizia, Massimiliano Longo. Un fantasma in sala professori. Firenze : Giunti, 1995.
Longo, Massimiliano. Guarda e senti. Novara: De Agostini, 1995.
Longo, Massimiliano. Parlo anch'io: storie di animali. Novara: De Agostini, 1995.
Lewis, Sian, Emanuela Bertolini, Massimiliano Longo. La banda del nibbio. Modena: F. Panini ragazzi, 1996.
Chidolue, Dagmar, Chiara Belliti, Massimiliano Longo. Flora dolce Flora. Modena: F. Panini ragazzi, 1996.Longo, Massimiliano. Parlo anch'io: storie di animali. Novara: De Agostini, 1995.
Lewis, Sian, Emanuela Bertolini, Massimiliano Longo. La banda del nibbio. Modena: F. Panini ragazzi, 1996.
Wyeth, Sharon Dennis, Laura Cangemi, Massimiliano Longo. Il mondo di Daughter McGuire. Modena: F. Panini ragazzi, 1996.
Quarenghi, Giusi, Massimiliano Longo. L' estate di Susanna. Modena: F. Panini ragazzi, 1996.
Lodi, Mario, Massimiliano Longo. La busta rossa. Firenze: Giunti, 1996.
Basile, Giambattista, Giovanni F. Straparola, Adalinda Gasparini, Massimiliano Longo. Le Prime Fiabe Del Mondo. Firenze: Giunti, 1996.
Zannoner, Paola, Massimiliano Longo. Un Anno Con Le Balene: I Ragazzi Della Balena Bianca. Firenze: Giunti, 1996.Basile, Giambattista, Giovanni F. Straparola, Adalinda Gasparini, Massimiliano Longo. Le Prime Fiabe Del Mondo. Firenze: Giunti, 1996.
Santoianni, Francesco, Massimiliano Longo. All'ultimo Minuto. Firenze: Giunti, 1996.
What technique do you use for your illustrations?
What is your relation with Alice's story?
I always liked the book since I was a child. At primary school I was already a good reader. The offer was limited if compared to today, but of absolute quality: Swift, Twain, De Foe, Dumas, Salgari, Carroll and Verne just to accept. Of course one ends up to be an illustrator! Disney had his role and he made masterpieces which fortunately never contaminated in myself the right image of the originals.
One who does my job can only identified with Alice and her adventures. My daily life is a continuos repetition of the story. I myself am the rabbit, always late, my cats are from Cheshire, I am always persecuted by who wants to cut my head, my sister has a shop of hats and she has got a screw loose. I am surly and pedant as the Caterpillar and, I have a daughter "Alice" and I often fall in to holes which bring to other dimension.
This seems to me a strong relationship!
What is your favourite character?
The book offers three kind of illustration: some black and white sketches in the page, some colourful full page plates and some brown pencil full page sketches. Lingering on the full page illustration the first things I noticed, after the brightness of colour and the realistic effect of the image as a photo, is the dimension of the page. The illustration, in fact, is spread on one glossy folded sheet, bigger almost twice the size of the book. The glossy of the paper enhances the vividness of colours and the enlarged size highlights the infinite details which compose the illustrations.
After the first fascination for the unusual size of the illustrations (which I saw commonly used for representing maps in some scifi books or for documents in I Propilei, a history encyclopedia ) the most important revelation is in the back side of the colour illustration. Where usually are the illustration captions, we find instead the brown pencil drawn version of the coloured illustration. The pencil drawing is very fresh and rich in details; the thin, sharp and firm line with no value scale produces complex senes which get lost in the depth of the landscape. Massimiliano Longo creates complex scenes in which the characters seem to move realistically due to the dynamic nature of the line.
Some images that reflect the original idea of Massimiliano Longo for the illustrations of the book.
Longo, Massimiliano. Non aprire quella porta! Firenze: Primavera, 1996.
Giusti, Renzo, Massimiliano Longo. Furto in classe. Firenze: Giunti, 1997.
Townson, Hazel, Laura Cangemi, Massimiliano Longo. Il quaderno segreto. Modena: F. Panini ragazzi, 1997.
Longo, Massimiliano. Cut Cats. Modena: Logos, 1998.
Firth, Rachel, Giacinto Gaudenzi, Dominic Groebner, Massimiliano Longo, Glen Bird. Knights. London : Usborne, 2003.
Boni, Maurilio, Massimiliano Longo. Delle erbe e della magia. Arcidosso: Effigi, 2008.
Zotti, Piergiorgio, Roberto Ferretti, Massimiliano Longo. Maremma segreta: la mappa delle storie e delle leggende. Arcidosso: Effigi, 2008.
Biondi, Angelo, De Benedetti M., Massimiliano Longo. I Corsari E La Maremma: Storie E Leggende Delle Incursioni Barbaresche. Arcidosso: Ed. Effigi, 2010.
Swift, Jonathan, Giuliana Berlinguer, Massimiliano Longo, Carlo Molinari. I Viaggi Di Gulliver. Firenze: Giunti junior, 2010.
Why have you combined a coloured illustration with an original pencil drawing?
Here starts the question which we interrupted before. I must say, first of all, that I will talk not only about the book but also about the issues of the illustrator's profession in Italy. I will try to be brief and exhaustive...
In the best case and with few exceptions, to be an illustrator in our country is a second job. This brings to a series of negative consequences which affect also the poetic and the quality of the work. The aesthetic result derives from commercial interest. The classic sentence of the publisher is: "...This is the maximum we pay, but we wont the best". This is the same as going to buy a BMW series 7 having the money enough just for a Punto. Try to do that and see the reaction of the dealer. Then you try to obtain at least the choice of the technique to balance the needs of both. They say "yes", you send them a trial illustration and sign the contract. But as soon as you start to work seriously they tell you that the colouring you have chosen does not follow the choice of the publisher; the colour must be satured and bright as the graphic designer's revision attached. So, all that you have studied and designed is swept away in one shot . What about the poetic drawings of Rackam? Forget them! What about the timing of the colouring? It is quadrupled, but the fee is the same. The aesthetic result is absolutely unsatisfactory. But you must try to save your job and you adapt. As luck would have it, in this case, the graphic designer who made the pagination understood the problem, so she found a way to save at least half of my work. She set on one side the illustration with very bright colours, which cover the drawing completely making it looks like a photograph, but which the publisher likes, on the other side she set the pure and simple drawing. So at least you can see it.
Carroll, Lewis, Massimiliano Longo. Alice nel paese delle meraviglie. Novara: De Agostini, 2010.
Molnár, Ferenc, Massimiliano Longo. I ragazzi della via Pàl. Novara: De Agostini, 2010.
Dumas, Alexandre, Massimiliano Longo. Robin Hood. Novara: De Agostini, 2010.
Dumas, Alexandre, Massimiliano Longo. Robin Hood. Novara: De Agostini, 2010.
Dumas, Alexandre, Massimiliano Longo. I tre moschettieri. Novara: De Agostini, 2011.
De Amicis, Edmondo, Massimiliano Longo. Cuore. Novara: De Agostini, 2011.
De Foe, Daniel, Massimiliano Longo. Robinson Crusoe. Novara: De Agostini, 2011.
Zoffoli, Paola, Massimiliano Longo. Milo lo squerariol. Venezia: Studio LT2, 2012.
Zoffoli, Paola, Massimiliano Longo. Tobia il gondoliere. Venezia: Studio LT2, 2012.
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What the artist says about himself.
The exhibitions' list does not exist; I have not many because, as painter and illustrator I spend much time in my studio dealing with committees. Absolutely desired and pursued choice. Solo exhibitions are a new invention, while I feel more like an artist from the past, when painting was a craft.
I prefer to say that since 1981 I paint and draw every day, including Christmas, and that this is my only job.
I recently like to teach.
In 1976 with my first "official" painting I won my first purchased award at Bevilacqua la Masa. Then I got other two and two first prize as scholarship and the award of a studio at Palazzo Carminati for five years.
During the mid-eighties I had some shows and collaborations with Galleria Ravagnan in Venice.
In 1981 I published my first editorial artwork Capriccio Veneziano, a small square to cut out and assemble. The first attempt to produce intellectual souvenirs of Venice.
In 1984 with the first (I believe) computer art installation in town, I won the Bevilacqua la Masa's prize again. I realized the big potential of computer and in 1991 I was already equipped with a full Machintosh station for digital illustration. As artist I realized that the installations would become overused and self-replicated, so against the tide I started again with oil paint.
The turn of the century brought me mainly portrait committees.
Until 2000 I have been dedicated mostly to illustration; especially with Gialli Mondadori Junior's covers which are all painted with oil colours on canvas or board.
Since 2005 I happily undertook my English adventure.
I collaborate and expose in art fair allover the world with Quantum Contemporary Art Gallery in Battrsea, London.
I have a small studio in London.
Lately I had an exhibition every year in order to create new artworks to send to different art fairs, which, in my opinion, are more useful and interesting than shows.
In 2012 I had a couple of exhibitions at Barefoot Art Gallery, Boston Spa, in Leeds.
In 2011 I had a show at World Art Gallery in Evisham. With this gallery I have a collaboration in different art fairs between Schotland and west-England.
In 2010, 2009 and 2008 I had shows at Spazio Arte dei Mori in Venezia
In 2009 at Bronze Gallery, Hartley Wintney, in Hampshire.
In 2007 at Inspiration Contemporary Art Gallery, Petts Wood in Kent.
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Interview with Massimiliano Longo
The Alice you have illustrated is not a child anymore but a teenager, why this choice?
I used my daughter as model, she was almost twelve; she looks older, to make the idea she is thirteen now and she is 1.79 meter hight...
I always pictured in my mind Alice as a teenager. The imagery follows concepts in daily life; nowadays a thirty years old man still lives as a teenager, perhaps at home whit his mother. In the Victorian era, a man at that age commanded a cavalry squadron in India. A sixteen years old girl was already betrothed and a not married twenty four years old woman was a spinster, so the time of confusion and the transition between childhood and adulthood happened earlier than today.
If I think about a little girl of today, I imagine the drop from the nose and Cooking Mama, and certainly not loss of life.
Tim Burton's Alice is a grown woman and Alice Liddell, the alleged inspiration, was ten at the time of the first narration and thirteen when the book was published.
What inspired you to create your own Wonderland?
To everything which was drawn before; it is difficult to invent something really new. I was inspired mostly by Arthur Rackham, but here would start a question which I will deepen later. A classic must be respected, in any field. I am the first, as reader or viewer, to get vexed when a story is too distorted. My first commandment is to satisfy the user; I know that certainties reassure and let us enjoy the show.
Why have you combined a coloured illustration with an original pencil drawing?
Here starts the question which we interrupted before. I must say, first of all, that I will talk not only about the book but also about the issues of the illustrator's profession in Italy. I will try to be brief and exhaustive...
In the best case and with few exceptions, to be an illustrator in our country is a second job. This brings to a series of negative consequences which affect also the poetic and the quality of the work. The aesthetic result derives from commercial interest. The classic sentence of the publisher is: "...This is the maximum we pay, but we wont the best". This is the same as going to buy a BMW series 7 having the money enough just for a Punto. Try to do that and see the reaction of the dealer. Then you try to obtain at least the choice of the technique to balance the needs of both. They say "yes", you send them a trial illustration and sign the contract. But as soon as you start to work seriously they tell you that the colouring you have chosen does not follow the choice of the publisher; the colour must be satured and bright as the graphic designer's revision attached. So, all that you have studied and designed is swept away in one shot . What about the poetic drawings of Rackam? Forget them! What about the timing of the colouring? It is quadrupled, but the fee is the same. The aesthetic result is absolutely unsatisfactory. But you must try to save your job and you adapt. As luck would have it, in this case, the graphic designer who made the pagination understood the problem, so she found a way to save at least half of my work. She set on one side the illustration with very bright colours, which cover the drawing completely making it looks like a photograph, but which the publisher likes, on the other side she set the pure and simple drawing. So at least you can see it.
What technique do you use for your illustrations?
I chose that technique not only for the reason I have just explained, but also because it was the one closer to the Victorian tradition; I wanted a sepia drawing rich in details and lightly coloured. I tried different pens, pencils and nibs and the winner was an old Giotto brown pencil. This guaranteed the pencil fluidity, gave less risk than the ink and offered always a well defined mark.
In order to optimize the work, since the drawing was very challenging, colouring had to be simple and fast. It had to be build up by transparency, superimposing in selection the almost monochrome watercolour made on a different plate. But I had already understood that this was not enough, so I scanned the drawings and the watercolor plates and then I coloured them more in Photoshop. The aesthetic result satisfied me. Many titles were expected for that collection and the first book would be the model for all the others, so it was very important that I was satisfied.
The following is the diary of a disaster. The collection stopped with six books. With the change of coloration it was impossible to respect the timing, stay in the cost and keep the quality. However, I consider satisfactory at least four books, thanks to the idea of the drawing on the back of the coloured illustration!
In order to optimize the work, since the drawing was very challenging, colouring had to be simple and fast. It had to be build up by transparency, superimposing in selection the almost monochrome watercolour made on a different plate. But I had already understood that this was not enough, so I scanned the drawings and the watercolor plates and then I coloured them more in Photoshop. The aesthetic result satisfied me. Many titles were expected for that collection and the first book would be the model for all the others, so it was very important that I was satisfied.
The following is the diary of a disaster. The collection stopped with six books. With the change of coloration it was impossible to respect the timing, stay in the cost and keep the quality. However, I consider satisfactory at least four books, thanks to the idea of the drawing on the back of the coloured illustration!
What is your relation with Alice's story?
I always liked the book since I was a child. At primary school I was already a good reader. The offer was limited if compared to today, but of absolute quality: Swift, Twain, De Foe, Dumas, Salgari, Carroll and Verne just to accept. Of course one ends up to be an illustrator! Disney had his role and he made masterpieces which fortunately never contaminated in myself the right image of the originals.
One who does my job can only identified with Alice and her adventures. My daily life is a continuos repetition of the story. I myself am the rabbit, always late, my cats are from Cheshire, I am always persecuted by who wants to cut my head, my sister has a shop of hats and she has got a screw loose. I am surly and pedant as the Caterpillar and, I have a daughter "Alice" and I often fall in to holes which bring to other dimension.
This seems to me a strong relationship!
What is your favourite character?
I do not know, the book is the chronicle of an awareness, so everything happens to the same person and each element is just a glimpse of whom is thinking. Everything and everybody are just single character who try to understand herself.
It is hard to choose a favourite one. When you choose one you are already thinking about another one's aspects which you like. You never completely approve the whole personality of each character; it is in the nature of the book to create this confusion. That reminds me Disney's Caucus Race!
If I have to choose I prefer the Caterpillar; I used myself as model to draw it.
By the way, I always use model.
It is hard to choose a favourite one. When you choose one you are already thinking about another one's aspects which you like. You never completely approve the whole personality of each character; it is in the nature of the book to create this confusion. That reminds me Disney's Caucus Race!
If I have to choose I prefer the Caterpillar; I used myself as model to draw it.
By the way, I always use model.
What scene do you like drawing best?
Unfortunately, this is an easy answer: the first scene. Then the issues with the publisher have affected my enthusiasm. I like the scene with tea also, the model is a friend of my son and it was fun to set the scene up.
Unfortunately, this is an easy answer: the first scene. Then the issues with the publisher have affected my enthusiasm. I like the scene with tea also, the model is a friend of my son and it was fun to set the scene up.
December, 2012.
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About the book.
After almost eighty years from the first publication, the publisher De Agostini presents again, with a new design and illustrations, La Scala D'Oro, one of the famous children's collection, published by U.T.E.T one of the oldest Italian Publishers. The title Alice in Wonderland is not one of those selected for the first eight series published in thirties. It will be included only in 1957 in the second series of the Nuova Scala D'oro, with the translation by Olga Visentini and the illustrations by Angela Motti. De Agostini published only six books, all illustrated by Massimiliano Longo, and from among them selected Lewis Carroll's book.
After almost eighty years from the first publication, the publisher De Agostini presents again, with a new design and illustrations, La Scala D'Oro, one of the famous children's collection, published by U.T.E.T one of the oldest Italian Publishers. The title Alice in Wonderland is not one of those selected for the first eight series published in thirties. It will be included only in 1957 in the second series of the Nuova Scala D'oro, with the translation by Olga Visentini and the illustrations by Angela Motti. De Agostini published only six books, all illustrated by Massimiliano Longo, and from among them selected Lewis Carroll's book.
Massimiliano Longo had to deal with one of the most famous and most illustrated classic in the world and, in the same time, with a Collection of children books which has raised generations of Italians. Despite the issue with the publisher and the comparison with the tradition, the artist gives to the audience a refined and, in a sense, new interpretation of Alice in the Italian scene. Longo's Alice is undoubtedly a teenager; other Italian illustrators too as Ferdinando Corbella, Vittorio Accornero, Felicita Frai and Davide Marescotti represented Alice no longer a child, but unlike Longo, they connoted Alice including her in well-defined categories.
Corbella makes Alice a kind of fifties pin-up, Accornero and Frai a young girl, aspiring actress and Marescotti a contemporary teenager cosplayer; Longo, instead, gives us just a teenager, not woman or a girl. A teenager-young lady who lives a fantastic adventure, with stories and characters whom could populate her childhood imagery, but who faces all the situations with a deeper capacity of analysis. Thanks to her higher maturity the adventure in Wonderland becomes step in a journey to adulthood.
Corbella makes Alice a kind of fifties pin-up, Accornero and Frai a young girl, aspiring actress and Marescotti a contemporary teenager cosplayer; Longo, instead, gives us just a teenager, not woman or a girl. A teenager-young lady who lives a fantastic adventure, with stories and characters whom could populate her childhood imagery, but who faces all the situations with a deeper capacity of analysis. Thanks to her higher maturity the adventure in Wonderland becomes step in a journey to adulthood.
After the first fascination for the unusual size of the illustrations (which I saw commonly used for representing maps in some scifi books or for documents in I Propilei, a history encyclopedia ) the most important revelation is in the back side of the colour illustration. Where usually are the illustration captions, we find instead the brown pencil drawn version of the coloured illustration. The pencil drawing is very fresh and rich in details; the thin, sharp and firm line with no value scale produces complex senes which get lost in the depth of the landscape. Massimiliano Longo creates complex scenes in which the characters seem to move realistically due to the dynamic nature of the line.
ððð
Some images that reflect the original idea of Massimiliano Longo for the illustrations of the book.
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