Poetic matter about Wisława Szymborska. Artist's pages

Friday, June 5 the Giuliano Briganti Library and Photo Archive hosts the fourth edition of Artist Pages, the exhibition dedicated to book-objects and artist books created by the students of Duccio di Buoninsegna Art High School of Siena as part of the school-to-work training projects. This year's edition, inspired by the figure and poetics of Wisława Szymborska (1923–2012), Nobel Prize in Literature in 1996 and a central figure of twentieth-century European poetry, offers a journey through word, image and artistic experimentation, via works that interpret in a visual and material way the universe of the great Polish poet.

The initiative is included among the collateral activities of the exhibition Double Meaning. Ink and Color, the exhibition of artist-books currently on display at the Briganti Library, centered on the dialogue between painterly expression and writing, through a path that relates artists known not only for their figurative production but also for their poetic and literary activity. Featured among them are Giorgio de Chirico, Toti Scialoja, Filippo de Pisis, Paul Klee, Alberto Savinio, Carlo Carrà, Suzanne Valadon and Maria Lai, together with writers who experimented with visual language through painting and collage. The exhibition includes artist books inspired by works and figures central to twentieth-century culture, including Christ Stopped at Eboli by Carlo Levi, the writings of Dino Buzzati and the poetic output of Wisława Szymborska, who is also honored in the exhibition's promotional graphics

The project: research, training and experimentation

The initial phases of the project “Materia poetica intorno a Wisława Szymborska” with the students of the Liceo Artistico took place at the Giuliano Briganti Library with Dr. Beatrice Pulcinelli. The first workshop session focused on discovering the Polish poet through the collections Call to the Yeti (1957), Salt (1962) and Bastacosì (2012). The selected poems — including Four in the Morning, Small Ads, Still Life with Balloon, Museum, Parable and The Sky — formed the starting point for the creation of the artist-books.

Subsequently, the history and practices of the book understood as a work of art were explored through the study of key texts, including Artist's Books that Made History and Munari. The books by Giorgio Maffei, Libri-oggetto with an introduction by Gillo Dorfles, Futurism. The Vanguard of the Avant-gardes by Claudia Salaris and Fortunato Depero by Gianluca Camillini. Alongside theoretical study, direct observation of the works represented an essential moment in the educational path. In particular, the guided visit to the exhibition “Doppio Senso” was a significant opportunity for discussion and inspiration for the students, contributing to the definition of their projects.

The workshops then continued at the Liceo Artistico, where students worked in groups under the supervision of Prof. Annarita Bianchini for class 3A Architecture and Environment and Prof. Veronica Finucci for class 3C Three-Dimensional Visual Arts. Through collages, assemblages, folds, graphic interventions and three-dimensional experiments, the students shaped book-objects and artist books that reinterpret the poet's central themes: attention to the everyday, memory, time and subtle irony. Common objects, fragments and seemingly marginal details thus become tools for artistic and poetic reflection, inviting the visitor to pause on the hidden value of things.

The project is part of the Work-Based Learning activities (formerly PCTO), promoted by Prof. Giovanni Pala, deputy head of the Liceo Artistico, by the school principal Federico Frati of the “Enea Silvio Piccolomini” Institute and supported by Dr. Chiara Valdambrini, Director of the Fondazione Antico Ospedale Santa Maria della Scala, with the aim of promoting interdisciplinary pathways between schools and cultural institutions, fostering students' educational development.

The works will remain on display throughout the summer period, while the exhibition “Doppio Senso. Ink and Colour” will be open until June 12.