Artwork by Lorenzo Mattotti.
Lorenzo Mattotti is one of the leading Italian comic artists. He is most famous for his idiosyncratic artwork, be it the expressionistic chalk drawings of his masterpiece 'Fires', or the quietly free-wheeling lines of his black and white pen work.
Born in 1954 in Brescia, Mattotti attended the Faculty for Architecture in Venice. His first comic stories were printed in France, in the magazine Circus in 1975. In 1977, he created 'Lo Studente', an episode in the life of Giacomo Casanova, published by Mondrograf in Italy. That same year, he began a steady collaboration with scriptwriter Fabrizio Ostani (Jerry Kramsky), starting with 'Alice Brum-Brum Nella Riserva Metropolitana' for publisher Ottaviano.
'Stigmata'.
Mattotti also launched 'Tram Tram Rock' and 'Tram Tram Waltz', two stories in cooperation with Antonio Tettamanti for the weekly Secondamano. With the same writer, he made an adaptation of 'Huckleberry Finn' for Ottaviano. In 1979, he made 'Agata Blues' in Canegaldo, and in the beginning of the 1980s, he produced stories like 'Incidenti' and 'Signor Spartaco' for Alter Alter.
'Feux'.
Under the joint pseudonym of Kreidebistro, Mattotti and Kramsky continued their collaboration with 'Jazzamentos' in Secondamano. Mattotti was part of the graphic group Valvoline, together with artists like Giorgio Carpinteri, Igort, Marcello Jori, Andrea Pazienza and Massimo Mattioli. The group made a supplement for Alter Alter, for which Mattotti and Kramsky created 'Doctor Nefasto'.
Comic art by Lorenzo Mattotti, 1990.
By 1983, Mattotti also moved over to a more juvenile audience and created 'Barbaverde' for Il Corriere dei Piccoli. He was present in the French magazine L'Écho des Savanes with his classic story about the struggle between nature and civilization, 'Feux', in 1986. Mattotti was also a contributor of short stories to several international magazines, including Rumbo Sur (Spain), Frigidaire and Alter Alter (Italy), The Face (UK), Métal Hurlant and L'Écho des Savanes (France).
'Stigmata'.
Starting in the 1990s, Mattotti published a series of albums with the French publisher Albin Michel, such as 'Labyrinthes' (a collection of his short stories), 'L'Homme à la Fenêtre' (script by Lilia Ambrosi) and 'Le Voyage de Caboto' (script by Jorge Zentner). He continued to work directly for the French market with 'Lettre d'une Époque Éloignée' in À Suivre and the album 'L'Abre du Pendu' for publisher Amok. For Casterman, Mattotti and Kramsky created 'Docteur Jekyll & Mister Hyde', based on the work of Robert Louis Stevenson, in 2002. This story, that also appeared in English, won Mattotti an Eisner Award in 2003.
'Between Four Walls'.
As an illustrator, Mattotti was present in magazines like Vanity, the New Yorker, Cosmopolitan, Vogue and Le Monde. He illustrated Collodi's 'Pinocchio', Robert Louis Stevenson's 'Le Pavillon sur les Dunes' and several children's books for Le Seuil Jeunesse. He continued to work for Le Seuil, and created 'Stigmates' (with Claudio Piersanti, 1998), 'Ligne Fragile' (1999), 'Anonymes' (with Piersanti, 2000), 'À la Lettre' (2001), 'Le Bruit du Givre' (with Jorge Zentner, 2003), 'Chambre' and 'Angkor' (2004). Le Seuil also collected his illustrations for the comunication field in 'Les Affiches de Mattotti' in 2003.
Lorenzo Mattotti was an influence on many artists. In Belgium, he inspired Nathalie Carpentier, Ilah,Pascal Lefèvre and Thierry Van Hasselt. In the Netherlands, he ranks Guido van Driel among his disciples.
Artwork by Lorenzo Mattotti.
Lorenzo Mattotti signing books at Galerie Lambiek, 22 February 2003, with Kees Kousemaker watching by.