The Allegory of Death in Alberto Martini's Drawings

A fine designer and prolific illustrator, who lived between the 19th and 20th centuries, Alberto Martini had immediately shown a strong attraction for the fairy tales and legends of the Nordic tradition. On the occasion of the celebrations of the seventieth anniversary of his death, the Castello Sforzesco is exhibiting the important group of works by the artist present in the civic collections. In particular, it will be possible to admire some watercolour inks taken from the Albo della Morte that Martini created between 1894 and 1896 and some postcards of the Danza Macabra Europea, an anti-Austrian propaganda work, published by the publisher Longo of Treviso on the occasion of the First World War. To frame Martini's work in the broader context of the engraving tradition of Northern Europe, some examples inspired by the theme of the Totentanz (Dance of Death) are exhibited.