Stefano Alghisi

PRESENTATION OF THE PANELS

For these four panels, I used the comic technique: first, because I am a graphic novelist by trade,

and second, because the genre allows for a great narrative capacity.

Four Graphic Panels, ink

1. "Gretchen am Spinnrade" by F. Schubert, arr. by Ljova

2. "Crane Palimpsest" by Gabriel Kahane

3. "The Head and Load" by Philip Miller with N'Faly Kouyate and Thuthuka Sibisi

4. "Chance Encounter"by Lisa Bielawa

Through graphics, I tell the story of Gretchen’s encounter with Doctor Faust.

Here, I focused on Hart Crane's verse, illustrating his poem 'The Bridge'. I also included an image on the panel that recalls his passion for Jazz, which is an interest that appears in a number of his other poems as well. As is typical in my work, I used photography as a reference -- this is necessary for visual documentation. Walker Evans' photography was fundamental for the Hart Crane pane.

The photographs of African soldiers during the First World War which I explored for ‘The Head and the Load’ were enormously important. These are very evocative and provocative images -- soldiers wearing both European military uniforms and headdresses typical of African tribes. This feature allowed me to create a panel that shows the drama of the war using a graphic “language” not immediately recognizable, or in any case not unequivocal.

For “Chance Encounter”, I was inspired by one of the work’s meanings: Memory. I also used other features of how the piece is played and staged.

Words by Stefano Alghisi

Translation by Amie Robin Weiss