Canova: In Four Tempos

The full-size plaster models that represented the passage from a preliminary designing phase to the production of the marble sculpture were of great significance to Italian sculptor Antonio Canova's creative process. As the subtitle emphasises, the temporal dimension holds great importance in the neoclassic sculptor's creative and productive phases: the plaster artefact posits a before and an after. Before comes the preparatory study; after is the finished work. Plaster stands in between, it is central. The plaster forms are not the finished works, however they contain all their power and potential.

This volume explores this meaningful and little-known phase in the creative process of Antonio Canova, along with quality close-up photo sequences that expose the plaster surfaces, bringing a greater focus and appreciation to the plaster form.

Luigi Spina is a photographer. His work focuses on amphitheatres and the civic dimension of the sacred, the links between art and faith, the search for ancient cultural roots, and the physical impact of classical sculpture. His published works include L'Ora incerta (2014), The Buchner Boxes (2014), Hemba (2017), and Mythical Diary (2017). Spina has collaborated with Valeria Sampaolo and 5 Continents Editions to create the series Oggetti rari e preziosi al Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli. He has also published The Dancers at the Villa of the Papyri for 5 Continents Editions's Tailormade series.

Prince Domenico Antonio Pallavicino (Stresa 1944) is the scion of one of the oldest and most prominent families in Genoa. After a classical education, he chose to study foreign languages and later joined his father in the management of the family's assets. From 1980 he was Consul General of the Principality of Monaco in Genoa and Liguria. In 2018, his cosmopolitan vision and refined culture, as well as his love for art and history, led him to establish the Fondazione Pallavicino ETS, of which he is president.

Vittorio Sgarbi (Ferrara 1952) is an art critic, the curator of exhibitions with international relevance, a refined collector, and the author of several popular volumes on the importance of culture and art. Among his most recent publications, Dall ombra alla luce. Da Caravaggio a Tiepolo; Dal mito alla favola bella. Da Canaletto a Boldini (La Nave di Teseo, 2019), installments of the Treasures of Italy series. He is also a politician and an independent free thinker.