Under the Crescent Moon, 1945

Mino Maccari   Famous Artists

Under the Crescent Moon is a black and white linocut on ivory-colored paper, realized in 1945 by Mino Maccari.

Hand-signed with the pseudonym "Jean Barbe" and numbered in pencil on lower margin. Edition of 300 prints.

From the collection "On s'amuse: 16 gravures en bois par Jean Barbe" realized by the Italian illustrator Mino Maccari and published by Documento, Rome.

When, in 1945, Mino Maccari published "On s'amuse", a portfolio of 16 linoleum of erotic scene, because of the scandalous subjects for the time, he had to sign each plate with the pseudonym of Jean Barbe. The edition was of 300 copies, 40 of which "before letter", numbered in Roman numerals, hand-painted by Maccari himself and signed by him "J.B."

This original print representing a sexual encounter, between a couple of lovers under a sly with a crescent moon, realized with the unforgettable Maccari's style, with a wise touch and an incredible full mastery of this artistic technique. A white cardboard passepartout is included, cm 49 x 34.

Reference:
Francesco Meloni: "Mino Maccari: reasoned catalog of engravings". Milan: Electa, 1979

Mino Maccari (Siena, 1898 - Rome, 1989)
A multi-faceted artist, painter, engraver, writer and journalist, he was a leading figure in twentieth-century Italian culture. He lived and worked in contact with the major Italian artists and intellectuals of the period such as Malaparte, Soffici, Rosai, Longanesi, Pannunzio, Morandi and many others. He was a complete artist extraordinarily prolific, remembered above all as the satirical illustrator of "Il Selvaggio"