Lavinia’s Wondrous Portraits by E. Lugli, C. Palill

Lavinia’s wondrous portraits brings children closer to the work of Lavinia Fontana (1552-1614), a professional artist from Bologna who was famous above all as a portrait painter.

‘What are portraits for?’ asks Camilla, an eight-year-old girl, puzzled by her older sister’s desire to have her portrait painted for her wedding. The story follows Camilla's tireless curiosity as she seeks answers to many questions about herself and the role of art in our lives. Through her encounters with Maestra Lavinia, she discovers that portraits are not just paintings, they serve to remind us of our loved ones who are no longer with us. They observe us, and if we pay attention, we can even talk to them and listen to their stories...

In the book, museums play a special role, and, towards the end, there is an explicit invitation to visit them: Emanuele Lugli, professor of art history at Stanford University and Lavinia's specialist, devotes a four-page spread to all the paintings by Lavinia that inspired the narrative, with precise indications on where to find them. Accompanying the reader are Chiara Palillo's illustrations, conceived as an artist's notebook and admirably combined with reproductions of parts of Fontana's original works - a visual lesson that educates the eyes of childrens and adults alike.

This rigour gives Lavinia’s wondrous portraits a unique character, which setting it apart from the many introductions to art for children and making it also compelling for an adult audience of parents, teachers and graphic designer.