The encyclopaedic series "The Art in Monography" - Italian painters volume 1 is dedicated to Fabrizio Vatta.

PREFACE

Together with the Editor of Black Wolf Edition & Publishing Ltd. we have created the encyclopaedic series "The Art in Monography" dedicated initially only to painting. The editor, believing firmly in the validity of this unprecedented editorial project, has improved and expanded it to the other fine arts, dividing The Art in Monography in sections (Italian Painters, Sculptors, Drawers, Illustrators, Photographers, Mosaicists) and inserting historic-technical volumes for every field realizing a more prestigious monograph work. Both in Italy and in Europe, publishers usually follow the practice to favour only the artists of certain galleries who decide according to the market profits. Therefore, the aim is to promulgate and make known contemporary artists still not entirely consecrated in Italy and in Europe.

This valuable series wants first of all to emphasize the creativity of 40 Italian artists who express themselves with various pictorial expressions with differ- ent styles and trends. What most has pushed us to propose with enthusiasm this idea to the publisher was the awareness of the urgent need to give a new face to the contemporary painting, looking for artists of undoubted quality more or less known in the national territory. Moreover, aware that the ostra- cism of the official critic often relegates new talents preferring choices closer to the demands of the market, we, with even greater conviction, wanted to give space and visibility to artists who have not yet entered the elitist enclo- sure of the national and international contemporary art market. We believe that this series is the flower to the eyelet to give value to the good painting that is still unknown, that has not found the applause of the large public of the art. Here we present the various styles and the multiple creative expressions with themes and propositions completely respectable, with the works of artists of certain and undoubted talent.

The criteria of selection of the artists took place in complete freedom, limiting their number to present only a restrained group. Knowing that others would have deserved the same consideration, this series does not intend to make any census of the most significant artistic presences on the national territory. It is clear that the amount of them examined here is small, and cannot determine a decisive premise and much less...an axiom in a single direction. We wanted to focus on artists of undisputed technical capacity, reiterating the word of mouth and concentrating on the knowledge acquired in the years. It should be specified, in conclusion, that no gallery has been consulted, neither by us nor by the publisher, because we keep respectfully...the distance when we get into the choices of valuable artists.

Alfonso and Nicola Vaccari