EXTRACTS: Drawing from History: The Forgotten Art of Fortunino Matania © The Book Palace (340 PAGES in Full edition)

The Forgotten Art of Fortunino Matania 3 Clement Shorter, founder and editor of the British weekly publication, The Sphere frequently expounded his belief that, ‘The illustrated magazine should be the eyes of the public.’ It was a rationale with origins in the early Victorian era when The Illustrated London News , the flagship of pictorial journalism, launched in May 1842. The pioneering ILN sent ‘special artists’ to the four corners of the globe to report and visualise for the British public world events which had hitherto been relayed solely through the written word. The ILN ’s ambition to produce a paper that would give equal prominence to pictures as well as words, was an instant success and spawned a new genre of news periodical that would record the next eighty or ninety years for posterity before succumbing to the superiority of the photograph. So for that period, roughly lasting from the mid-19th century to the 1930s, the ‘illustrated weeklies’ dominated the news stands and were powered by teams of highly skilled illustrators, known as ‘black and white men’ who left behind them an unparalleled visual record of that time. Shorter himself had served time on the editorial staff of the ILN before leaving to realise his ambition to set up a new title. Launched in 1900, at the dawn of a new century, The Sphere , subtitled, ‘The Empire’s Weekly’, followed the traditions of Victorian periodicals, but its tone and style felt fresh and modern, with pictures taking centre stage, and spreads an accessible combination of photographs, diagram and concise text. From the beginning, the magazine sought to ensure its coverage was both wide- ranging and as truthful as possible, stating early on; ‘The centre of The Sphere will be London but its surface will hold pictures and thoughts from all lands…showing things as they are and not how they might be.’ The market for weekly, illustrated magazines was crowded but robust, and the roster of artists employed by each periodical became familiar to readers in the same way a regular columnist in a national newspaper might be today. Introduction by Lucinda Gosling Quality magazines relied on maintaining a level of talent among its artists and in 1905, Shorter engaged a prodigiously talented artist who was to become synonymous with his magazine for the next two decades. Fortunino Matania was just twenty-four years old when he became special artist for The Sphere but could already claim over a decade of experience as a pictorial journalist. Born in Naples, Italy on the 16th April 1881, Fortunato Matania (who would always be known as Fortunino – ‘little Fortunato’), was the son of Eduardo Matania (1847-1929) and his wife, Clelia. Eduardo was himself a well-respected artist, contributing predominantly to the Milanese-based weekly periodical, L’Illustrazione Italiana . Fortunino had art coursing through his blood, not only on his father’s side but his mother’s brother, Alberto della Valle, was another successful commercial artist who carried out numerous book cover illustrations in the art nouveau style. Clelia herself was actively involved in helping her husband collect books, prints, costumes and all manner of reference material to add as much authenticity as possible to his pictures. That Fortunino was destined to carry on the family tradition was not particularly surprising but what is extraordinary is the precocious and natural flair he exhibited at an age when most children are still struggling to master their grip of a pencil. Growing up in a busy illustrator’s studio, the young Fortunino honed his skills under the tutelage of his father. He never formally attended art school, but received a comprehensive education that was to leave no artistic stone unturned. Eduardo, who was appointed Honorary Professor at the Naples Insitute of Art, taught his son not only painting and drawing but also encouraged him to study and become proficient in sculpture and carving. A profile of Matania by the art teacher and critic, Percy Bradshaw in The Artist magazine in April 1943, described Matania’s training: ‘Eduardo had brought up the youngster to believe that a real artist should be able to do everything which called for pictorial experience or representation; not merely to draw or paint, but to model, carve, work in metal or wood, and in fact, be an all-round craftsman.’ It was a holistic approach that would do much to shape Matania’s future output, which was not only distinctive for its realism and three-dimensionality, but featured numerous pieces of furniture and props that Matania had made with his own hands. Examples of the young Matania’s work survive from this period. They show evidence of an artistic child prodigy, particularly a drawing of a goat, with a note stating it was drawn at the tender age of three. It is unlikely this is true but there is no doubt that an oil painting done at the age of eleven, of a group of Matania’s favourite chickens, shows an incredible talent in one so young. The painting was accepted to be hung in the Royal Academy in Naples; Fortunino was photographed posing alongside it with a hen in his arms. Right: ‘Eduardo Matania at his work – drawn by his son Fortunino when 12 years old.’ ©The Estate of Fortunino Matania/ Mary Evans