astiberri - Museo Thyssen

ASTIBERRI
A Caravaggio Comic
Illustrator Álvaro Ortiz has focused on
the figure of Caravaggio and his closest
Dutch followers in a light-hearted
comic story co-published by the Museo
Thyssen-Bornemisza
Two Dutchmen in Naples
Text and illustrations: Álvaro Ortiz
Astiberri Ediciones. Bilbao, 2016
Full colour. Paperback
28 pages. 14.8 x 21 cm. 10 Euros
Lecturas Compulsivas Collection
ISBN: 978-84-15113-84-3
On sale from 1 July
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In conjunction with the exhibition Caravaggio
and the Painters of the North, which opens at
the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid on 21
June, illustrator Álvaro Ortiz has created a comic
book based on the figure of this celebrated
Italian artist and his influence on the group of
Northern European artists who were fascinated
by his work and disseminated his style.
The exhibition at the Museo Thyssen focuses
on the legacy of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610), offering visitors an idea
of the wide range of different reactions that his
painting provoked, in particular among his most
important followers in Holland, Flanders and
France such as Dirck van Baburen, Gerard van
Honthorst, Hendrick ter Brugghen, David de Haen,
Nicolas Régnier and Louis Finson, in addition to
Simon Vouet, Claude Vignon, Nicolas Tournier
and Valentin de Boulogne.
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Álvaro Ortiz, author of Cenizas (Ashes), Astiberri, 2012; Murderabilia, Astiberri, 2014; and Rituales
(Rituals), Astiberri, 2015; has made use of the exhibition’s guiding thread in a humorous manner
in order to bring Gerard van Honthorst and Dirck van Baburen to life. These were two of the many
Dutch painters who left their native land in the 17th century and settled in Rome, the world centre
of art at that period. At one point the two artists decide to take a few days off work in order to visit
Naples and see the altarpieces painted there by their admired Michelangelo Merisi, known as
Caravaggio, who had died a few years before. In fact, seeing the altarpieces was just an excuse,
as Honthorst has concealed the real reason for the trip from his friend.
Álvaro Ortiz has previously focused on Caravaggio in his graphic novel Rituales, which was
nominated for the best work by a Spanish author in the most recent edition of the Comic Salon in
Barcelona. In one of the book’s chapters, the main character is writing a biography in comic book
form on the artist and travels to Malta, the island where Caravaggio was exiled after he committed
a murder. This allowed Ortiz to look into the urban legends that surround the painter, while also
adding fantastical elements and a sizeable dose of humour. Two Dutchmen in Naples continues
this chapter of Rituales, devoted to Caravaggio’s turbulent life.
Álvaro Ortiz (born Zaragoza, 1983) studied graphic design at the
Higher School of Design in Aragon and illustration at the Massana School
in Barcelona. Having won several comic competitions, including the
Injuve Prize in 2003, he worked on various collaborative comic projects
including Tapa roja (Red Cover) and Lanza en astillero (With his Lance hung
up) for Sins Entido publishers, and also published various works himself.
These were followed by Julia y el verano muerto (Julia and the dead
Summer), 2005; and Julia y la voz de la ballena (Julia and the Whale’s
Voice), 2009; both published by Ediciones de Ponent. In late 2010 he
returned to self-publishing with Fjorden before embarking on the
comic Cenizas (Ashes), Astiberri, 2012; for which he received a grant
from Alhóndiga Bilbao in collaboration with the Maison des Auteurs
d’Angoulême. This work was published in France and Germany. Ortiz participated in the Spanish graphic novel anthology Panorama
(Astiberri, 2013), coordinated by Santiago García, and contributed to
Oxfam’s Viñetas de Vida (Sketches of Life) project (Astiberri, 2014) with
his cartoon strip Femmes des fraises, written by Isabel Cebrián. In 2014
Astiberri published Murderabilia, also published in France, followed by
Rituales (Rituals) in 2015, created at the Academia de España in Rome
with an MAEC-AECID grants. The latter was again published in France
and was nominated for the best work by a Spanish author at the Comic
Salon in Barcelona in 2016.
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astiberri
astiberri.com
Apdo. 485. 48080. Bilbao
Tel.: 661 288 747 • prensa@astiberri.com
ASTIBERRI
Otras obras de Álvaro Ortiz en Astiberri
Cenizas
2.ª edición
192 páginas. 20 euros
ISBN: 978-84-15163-63-3
Murderabilia
112 páginas. 16 euros
ISBN: 978-84-15685-73-9
Rituales
128 páginas. 17 euros
ISBN: 978-84-16251-32-2
facebook.com/astiberri
@astiberri
astiberri
astiberri.com
Apdo. 485. 48080. Bilbao
Tel.: 661 288 747 • prensa@astiberri.com
ASTIBERRI
facebook.com/astiberri
@astiberri
astiberri
astiberri.com
Apdo. 485. 48080. Bilbao
Tel.: 661 288 747 • prensa@astiberri.com
ASTIBERRI
facebook.com/astiberri
@astiberri
astiberri
astiberri.com
Apdo. 485. 48080. Bilbao
Tel.: 661 288 747 • prensa@astiberri.com