{"title":"Lorenzo Alessandri","description":"\u003cp\u003eLorenzo Alessandri was one of Italy's most distinctive visionary painters and the founder of \u003cstrong\u003eSurfanta\u003c\/strong\u003e — a movement that developed its own symbolic language of enigmatic figures, hybrid beings, and dreamlike psychological landscapes at the intersection of Surrealism, esotericism, and Italian counter-cultural thought. Working across painting, illustration, and print, Alessandri produced a body of work that operated simultaneously within the fine art world and the broader visual culture of speculative and occult publishing during the late 1960s and beyond.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHis illustrated work for publications such as Peter Kolosimo's \u003cem\u003eGuida al Mondo dei Sogni\u003c\/em\u003e (Edizioni Mediterranee, 1968) documents a moment when artists, writers, and publishers increasingly blurred the boundaries between literature, mysticism, and visual experimentation. While his paintings have attracted growing collector attention, his printed illustrations remain considerably rarer — objects that preserve the graphic dimension of his practice in a form that circulated beyond the gallery.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe materials gathered here are documents of that practice: illustrations, printed matter, and ephemera that carry Alessandri's visual language into a different register — one defined by reproduction, distribution, and the altered conditions of renewed encounter.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"lorenzo-alessandri-illustration-guida-al-mondo-dei-sogni-peter-kolosimo-1968","title":"Lorenzo Alessandri — Illustration for Guida al Mondo dei Sogni by Peter Kolosimo, Edizioni Mediterranee, 1968","description":"\u003cp\u003e15.5 × 23 cm. Offset-printed illustration on paper. Good vintage condition with light signs of age and handling consistent with its period.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAn original 1968 illustration produced by Italian surrealist Lorenzo Alessandri for Peter Kolosimo’s \u003cem\u003eGuida al Mondo dei Sogni\u003c\/em\u003e (Guide to the Book of Dreams), published by Edizioni Mediterranee, Rome, 1968, at Lire 2500. The sheet carries the printed text: \u003cem\u003eQuesto è uno dei trentadue disegni “Pascal” di Alessandri che illustrano il libro Guida al Mondo dei Sogni di Peter Kolosimo\u003c\/em\u003e — identifying it as one of thirty-two “Pascal” drawings by Alessandri made for the publication.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe composition depicts a robed ecclesiastical figure in an ornate mitre leaning toward a seated nude female figure surrounded by ritual objects — small vessels, a bell, and scattered implements — arranged on the ground between them. The image combines psychological symbolism with fantastic imagery, reflecting the fascination with dreams, esotericism, and speculative imagination that characterised a distinctive strand of Italian visual culture during the late 1960s.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlessandri was one of Italy’s most distinctive visionary painters and founder of the \u003cstrong\u003eSurfanta\u003c\/strong\u003e movement, developing an immediately recognisable symbolic language populated by enigmatic figures, hybrid beings, and dreamlike psychological landscapes. Although his paintings have become increasingly appreciated, his printed illustrations remain considerably less common and document another important aspect of his practice.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRather than functioning solely as book illustration, the sheet stands as an autonomous example of Alessandri’s graphic language, preserving the intersection of fine art, publishing, and counter-cultural thought at a moment when artists, writers, and publishers increasingly blurred the boundaries between literature, mysticism, and visual experimentation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eToday, objects connected to Kolosimo’s publications occupy an intriguing position between artist’s ephemera, illustration, counter-cultural publishing, and occult history. They appeal not only to collectors of Surrealism and fantastic illustration, but also to those interested in the broader visual culture surrounding speculative thought during the late 1960s.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShipping and handling included in the listed price.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Edizioni Mediterranee","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53803329061202,"sku":"ALESSANDRI-EDMED-INV-1968","price":120.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0991\/5636\/1554\/files\/Kolosimo_Peter._Illustration_by_Alessandri_for_Guide_to_the_book_of_dreams_._1968.jpg?v=1781945419"}],"url":"https:\/\/thenewrare.com\/collections\/lorenzo-alessandri.oembed","provider":"The New Rare","version":"1.0","type":"link"}