FerdinandoFedele
Born in 1964.
Since 1993, he has taught at the Academies of Fine Arts in Sassari, L’Aquila, Milan and Naples.
Since 2013, he has been a lecturer in Printmaking Techniques / Graphic Art at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome.
His artistic research focuses on the ways in which it is possible to establish a dialectical connection between the printmaking tradition, understood both in historical and iconological terms and in a technical sense, and the complex sphere of processes associated with it, primarily photography and all its subsequent offshoots, with a view to enriching both, resulting in a different conception of contemporaneity with respect to their respective artistic languages.
Therefore, he bases his exploration of photomechanical printing, offset printing and cyanotype, as well as his approach to digital printing and stencilling, on an in-depth study of the history of printmaking and drawing. This enables him to push beyond certain spatial constraints inherent in the printmaking medium through his participation, together with his students, in institutional street art events, including: ‘OSA. Operazione Street Art”, Diamante, 2018; “Campo Boario” Workshop, Academy of Fine Arts in Rome, Corviale, 2018/19; “Punto di arrivo nel nuovo mondo” Workshop, Academy of Fine Arts in Rome, Monte Soratte, 2021/22.
In 2022, he curated the workshop ‘In tiratura limitata’ (‘In Limited Edition’) in collaboration with the artist Giovanni Timpani at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome.
From 2015 to 2018, he was a Lecturer in Experimental Techniques as part of ‘Artlab’, a Level I master’s programme in ‘Languages of Graphic Art’, a joint degree offered by the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome and the University of Tor Vergata.
He has participated in numerous national and international exhibition events, and his solo exhibitions include: Cave Canem, Galleria Cesare Manzo, Pescara, 1995; La Muta, Studio Vigato, Alessandria, 1996; Plus ou moins comme, J&J Donguy Galerie, Paris, 1999; Cena in casa Levi, Lift Gallery, Rome, 2005; Reflection, Hybridacontemporanea Gallery, Rome, 2007; Fissare lo sguardo, LaPortaBluGallery, Rome, 2009; Locus solus, FedeleStudio, Nocera Inferiore (SA), 2019.
He has also created numerous public artworks and designed large-scale pictorial installations, including the cycle of paintings for three altarpieces in the Church of Santissimo Salvatore, Passiano (Cava de’ Tirreni).
COURSE SYLLABUS – FIRST THREE-YEAR PERIOD – 6 ECTS
The course comprises a theoretical and practical programme on printmaking, focusing exclusively on the study of the indirect etching technique and the direct burin technique.
The aim is to make students aware of the importance of the design process associated with the aforementioned techniques, from which they will be able to choose according to their personal inclinations and interests.
Therefore, the student’s main objective will be to work in a design-oriented manner, focusing primarily on achieving a satisfactory range of tonal variations through the exclusive use of the steel burin for intaglio and the etching and burin techniques.
To this end, students will be required to undertake a theoretical study of the development of the line in European printmaking from the 15th century to the present day.
Once the design concept is clearly evident on the plate, under the lecturer’s supervision, the student may proceed with the production of original art prints at a private print shop.
The prints produced, using a minimum of three plates, must be compiled into an Art Portfolio, which will be the subject of an examination.
COURSE SYLLABUS FOR THE SECOND THREE-YEAR PERIOD – 6 ECTS
Students will be offered the opportunity to refine and further develop the techniques and procedural methods acquired during the course they may have taken in the previous year, with the primary aim of acquiring a capacity for creative expression in printmaking, in line with a design concept that may extend to an artist’s book or any other project. Specific for new students.
TWO-YEAR COURSE PROGRAMME – 6 ECTS
Assuming that, over the course of their three-year training, students have developed a more informed view of the contemporary world, the aim of this course will be to test their critical thinking skills by challenging them to design works engraved using the photogravure technique, using one or more plates.
Indeed, photogravure is a type of process that, by combining traditional printmaking techniques with the specific needs of the contemporary world, can likely serve as a springboard for students to adopt a multidisciplinary approach to the subject, as well as a convenient means of further developing their own artistic vision.
With this in mind, students will be able to develop their design intentions freely and personally, as well as manage the printing processes according to their own needs.
The original art prints produced and created in the workshop must form an Art Portfolio, which will be the subject of the final assessment.
Bibliography
Documentation Notebook 3 – Il disegno di invenzione e di progetto; Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato.
Documentation Workbook 4 – Il bulino e la silografia; Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato.
Documentation Workbook 5 – L’acquaforte e la litografia, Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato.
Renato Bruscaglia – Incisione calcografica e stampa originale d’arte; Ed. QuattroVenti.
Guido Strazza – Il gesto e il segno; Edizioni di Vanni Scheiwiller.
Lucio Passerini – Xilografia; il Castello.