“The Poet of Colours and Words” exhibition dedicated to Nazareno Giusti – barganews.com v 3.0

“The Poet of Colours and Words” exhibition dedicated to Nazareno Giusti

“The Poet of Colours and Words”- exhibition dedicated to the journalist and graphic novelist Nazareno Giusti-

Barga, March 23, 2024 – Illustration, comics, journalism. The exhibition with the catalog “The Poet of Colors and Words” is dedicated to the graphic novelist, journalist, and documentarian Nazareno Giusti, who passed away in 2019.

The exhibition will be held in Barga (province of Lucca), at the behest of the family and the Ricci Foundation, who organize it at the Foundation’s headquarters, with the support of the Cassa di Risparmio Foundation of Lucca.

Nazareno Giusti, born in 1989, has had a passion for animation since childhood, then for comics and illustration. Passions he developed through his talent, exploring the ninth art.

As a young man, masters such as Riccardo Benvenuti, Gradimir Smuja, and Simone Bianchi encouraged him to continue his artistic and expressive journey. A graduate of the “A. Passaglia” Higher Institute of Art in Lucca, he was a regular attendee at Lucca Comics & Games (in 2022, Lucca Collezionando, the vintage pop fair – which this year takes place at the Lucca fairgrounds on March 23 and 24, 2024 – dedicated an exhibition and the “Collecting in Memory” award to him), he simultaneously began collaborations with various publications, starting from local ones to national ones, as an author and illustrator.

His productions. His first two comics, “The Man Who Didn’t Kill Them” and “Giacomo Puccini… gazing into eternity” date back to 2007 and 2008; followed by “The Last Questore”, “The Signature. Guido Rossa, a worker against the BR”, “I don’t die even if they kill me. Life of Giovannino Guareschi” (article here) , “Ligabue the roar” (2014) (article here) , “Guido Rossa, a worker against the BR” (2017) second edition.

Meanwhile, with 11 graphic novels, he began collaborating with “La Lettura”, the Corriere della Sera’s weekly supplement, illustrating books, covers, and a short film about Sergio Lucio Catilina made for the San Salvatore Museum in Pistoia.

His works and comics have been exhibited in various locations in Italy, in the United States (in Chicago, Illinois, at the Blackbird Gallery), in Rome at the exhibition promoted by journalist Giuseppe Pollicelli, author of the texts for the graphic novel “Pasolini’s Prophecy, dying harms me”, published in Corriere della Sera’s weekly supplement “La Lettura”.

In permanent exhibition, besides Coreglia Antelminelli at the municipal palace (article here) , his works can be seen at the Malle Museum in Dronero (CN), at the San Salvatore Museum (short film on Sergio Lucio Catilina) in Pistoia, at the Ducal Castle of Torremaggiore (FG), at the headquarters of the historic Pro loco of Castelnuovo di Garfagnana (LU) and at the Ricci Foundation headquarters in Barga.

He spoke about Giovanni Palatucci, for the Association bearing his name, in theaters, main halls of various Institutes as well as in schools for State Police students; he presented his comics in various cities, as for the presentation of the comic “Guido Rossa, a worker against the BR” published by Round Robin, on March 7, 2017, presented at the Chamber of Deputies, Enrico Berlinguer hall, in the presence of some members of the Government and unionists of the time.

Among his works and writings: “For freedom, resistance in comics”; “La Lettura”; “Comics”, a comic magazine by the national association of friends of comics and illustration. He illustrated books and covers for events and designed posters, the first at the age of 16.
Several awards received.

In 2008, the Province of Lucca awarded him the “Territory and Freedom” prize; in 2015, in Milan, the National Union of Retired Officers of Italy and the National Association of Voloire awarded him the “Paladin of Memories” (for the book “Giovanni Palatucci a life to (re)discover”); in 2018, in Reggio Emilia, he won the “Rino Albertarelli as best young emerging author” by ANAFI, the national association of friends of comics and illustration; in 2022, in Lucca, “Lucca Collezionando the vintage-pop spring festival organized by Lucca Comics & Games” dedicated to comics and slow entertainment, dedicated an exhibition related to the graphic novels produced for “La Lettura” and the “Collecting in Memory” award to him.

Giusti collaborated with various local and national newspapers, both print and online, including, in addition to “La Lettura” of Corriere della Sera, “Il Giornale Off” and “Avvenire”, where he wrote for the cultural page recounting the history of great characters, protagonists of their time.

Also attracted to filmmaking, he conceived and directed four audiovisual documentaries: “The Battle of Sommocolonia. Gothic Line 1944”; “The province of Lucca and the Great War” (article here) , for which he requested and obtained the patronage of the Presidency of the Republic on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the end of the Great War; “Garfagnana chronicles of a land of encounter”; “Giovannino Guareschi and Vittorio Vialli Italian Military Internees”, curated in technical aspects and shooting by his friend Cesare Baldassarri and the last one also by Abramo Rossi.

The exhibition will display watercolors, illustrations, pages of his comics: it will be a journey along the itinerary of his artistic journey, during which he had the opportunity to meet people who moved him and whom he in turn moved.

The organizers’ intention is to make these works known especially to the student world, as every story, historical event, or character, is seen and told by a young and sensitive artist, such as Nazareno Giusti.

“In him were well-present and consolidated feelings such as humility, readiness to listen, respect, sense of justice and duty, and loyalty to friendship – Massimo Giusti -.

He had a particular affection for Barga, where he met people who, like him, loved history, literature, and art. Together with them, he contributed to the volume ‘One hundred years since the armistice 1918-2018 celebrations of the end of the great war’ by Umberto Sereni, Vittorio Lino Biondi, Natalia Sereni, Pier Giuliano Cecchi, Sara Moscardini, Ivano Stefani, and Cristiana Ricci.

His articles could be read in the Giornale di Barga first, then on barganews.com (article here) , always out of friendship and the passion he had for writing. A great friend of Keane, Director of barganews.com, with whom he discussed and admired his art.
Feelings of friendship and mutual respect had also been formed with Maria Elena Caproni and the Director of the Giornale di Barga, Luca Galeotti.

Barga was an important place for Nazareno: the exhibition at the Ricci Foundation therefore holds significant importance, both for the city hosting it and for the location where culture thrives and exhibitions are always of the highest caliber. Therefore, it is an honor to present Nazareno’s works there, including some of his unpublished pieces, never before seen elsewhere, including the faces of the Holocaust.”

The title is a quote from Vincenzo Pardini, colleague, and friend of Nazareno.