Italian artist discusses new works at Taipei book festival

Taipei, Feb. 8 (CNA) Italian artist Lorenzo Mattotti shared his thoughts on two of his new books at the Taipei International Book Exhibition on Saturday, including "Colors of You" which was published exclusively in Taiwan in January.

During a dialogue with Locus Publishing Co. Publisher Rex How (郝明義), the comic book artist and illustrator introduced "Colors of You," which depicts men and women gazing at each other, embracing and intertwined in various spaces.

Mattotti said he not only wanted to portray lustful entanglements, but also the sincere and deep facets of love through body language.

How commented that the artworks capture the essence of love as conveyed by the Shurangama Sutra, from which the book takes its Chinese name "汝色."

Mattotti also introduced his new work "Pinocchio" at the book fair.

He said he initially disliked the story, thinking that Pinocchio kept putting himself in danger, but on reading the original found it highly expressive.

Looking back at his creative career, the artist says he has portrayed the story in images three times, making new discoveries each time.

"Pinocchio" is an extremely open work, he added.

Past works by Mattotti published in Taiwan include the "Inferno" section of the only graphic novel edition of Dante's "Divine Comedy," published in 1999.

Mattotti recalled the creative process and said he was initially nervous about being unable to produce a good work.

After researching the story, the artist said he believed it to be about a group of monsters, so he drew upon past experiences and injected energy into his drawings by listening to "the Creation" composed by Haydn as he drew.

He establishes a connection with his works through various fields, drawings, movies, images or music, "so every book is like an adventure," he said.

Mattotti's works have been published in several major publications, including "The New Yorker," "Le Monde" and "La Repubblica." He has also participated in movies including Wong Kar-Wai's (王家衛) "Eros" and French animated horror film "Fear(s) of the Dark."

How described Mattotti as an artist who can draw the shapes of the world and the human soul, producing works that bring to life the darkest corners of life.