Celebrating Italian Printmaking Heritage, from Manuzio to Tallone
For the International Week of Italian Language in the World 2024, the Istituto Italiano di Cultura Toronto in collaboration with the Books and Media Studies Program at the University of Toronto, presents a captivating journey through the centuries-old history of Italian printmaking.
Professor Paolo Granata will talk about the evolution of typography from the pioneering work of Aldo Manuzio, the inventor of the Italic type, to the masterful creations of Alberto Tallone, whom Pablo Neruda hailed as the “hero of the book”.
Prof. Granata’s lecture will be followed by a unique show-and-tell presentation by Enrico and Elisa Tallone, son and granddaughter of Alberto Tallone, who continue to honor the legacy of legendary printers and typographers like Aldo Manuzio and Giambattista Bodoni.
Attendees will explore the world of typography, the beauty, the anatomy, and the historical significance of type in shaping the modern book and the Italian language as well. Samples and artifacts will also be on display.
ISTITUTO ITALIANO DI CULTURA
496 Huron St | Toronto ON
Wednesday, October 16, 2024 | 6:30PM
FREE ADMISSION
The show-and-tell lecture will also be presented in Vancouver.
Organized in collaboration with Consulate General of Italy in Toronto, Consulate General of Italy in Vancouver, Italian Chamber of Commerce in Canada – West, University of Toronto.
Enrico Tallone has, since 1973, headed the printing house originally founded by his father in 1939. Over the years, this artistic printing house has attracted honours and accolades from around the world. Its letterpress-printed books, designed to do justice to the literary works of the great authors in its catalogue (from the pre-Socratic philosophers to contemporary poets), are set entirely by hand using original type fonts from punches created by great artists. Tallone’s passion for art printing has led him to write and publish a series of books on typesetting by hand, in an effort to spread knowledge and understanding of the art of high-level printing, enabling appreciation of the charm and beauty of the font styles, layouts and formats of cultural books. Tallone’s printed works have been featured in exhibitions and events around the world, from Rome to Kyoto to Santiago of Chile.
Paolo Granata is an Associate Professor in Book and Media Studies at St. Michael’s College in the University of Toronto. As an educator, an innovator, and a cross-disciplinary media scholar – nurtured by the centuries-old tradition of his Alma Mater, the University of Bologna – his research and teaching interests lie broadly in the areas of media ecology, media ethics, semiotics, print culture, and visual studies.