It’s hard to sum up in just a few words the career of Palermo-born illustrator and painter, Aleardo Terzi (1870-1943).
The son of famous illustrator Andrea, Terzi collaborated with a variety of magazines (“La Tribuna Illustrata”, “La Lettura”, “Novissima”…) and for Officine Ricordi, where he met Dudovich, Cappiello, Metlicovitz and Hohenstein. He specialized in children’s illustrations – working for “Corriere dei Piccoli” for years – but also decorated majolicas for Richard-Ginori, created theater sets, taught drawing and illustration, and was graphic director at Treccani…
This is how Antonio Faeti described Aleardo Terzi’s style in his book on Italian illustrators in children’s publishing: “He had a very light touch, often broken up into approximate fragments and resumed with light emphasis in the parts where a more intense and detailed image was required. He was culturally tied to British illustrators, and represented in Italy their preference for illustrators connoted technically by the use of nib pens, with the contrast between intense outlines and barely sketched open spaces…” (translated from A. Faeti, “Guardare le figure”, Donzelli, Rome 2011).
Here is a selection of his illustrations.
"Wanda" spa, Savona, 1900
Eden Palace Hotel, Genoa, ca. 1900
International exposition in Rome, 1911
"Giornale del mattino", Bologna, 1911
Albo "Novissima", Milan, early 1900s
Caffè Buscaglione, ca. 1905
Dentol toothpaste, 1914
Max Meyer paint, Milan, after 1921
Grandi magazzini Mele, 1912
Grandi magazzini Mele, 1909
Grandi magazzini Mele, 1905
Grandi magazzini Mele, 1913
Van Berkel patent, Milan, 1905
Humber Gritzner cycles, Milan, 1901
Paneraj products, Livorno, 1901
Paneraj pastilles, Livorno
Michele Talmone, Turin
