{"product_id":"maria-lai-holding-the-shadow-by-the-hand-hardcover","title":"Maria Lai: Holding the Shadow by the Hand - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eElena Pontiggia\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMaria Lai wove fairy tales into art, using textiles and metaphors to explore life's complexities. Her \"sewn fairy tales,\" like Holding the Shadow by the Hand, reflect on accepting shadows, both literal and personal. Text in English and Italian.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMaria Lai always had a special relationship with fairy tales. She considered them a metaphor for art and a way of communicating with the public in a simple, straightforward way. Starting in the 1980s, fairy tales became central to her art. \u003ci\u003eTenendo per mano il sole, Tenendo per mano l'ombra, Curiosape\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eMaria Pietra\u003c\/i\u003e, are her most famous \"sewn fairy tales\" - books created by the artist using castoff textiles. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMaria Lai's fairy tales are not merely children's stories, but profound reflections on life and what it means to be a human being. They are often inspired by Sardinian myths and legends, to which the artist gives a personal twist, adding autobiographical details and philosophical reflections. \u003cbr\u003e This edition of \u003ci\u003eTenendo per mano l'ombra\u003c\/i\u003e is a printed version of Maria Lai's 1987 tale. The original consists of fabric pages sewn together and collages of dyed textiles, on which the artist has embroidered geometric figures, yarn and other materials. The fairy tale tells the story of a human being (and his double) who must learn to accept shadows, the dark part of the world and of himself. The figure's shadow, in Maria Lai's fairy tale, is not a negative element to be rejected, but an integral part of his personality. To live an untroubled and complete life, one must learn to accept and live with it. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eElena Pontiggia's concluding essay accompanies the reader in a fascinating page by page interpretation of the fable, and discusses Lai's artistic and stylistic approach in the context of an extensive network of philosophical, literary and artistic references: from Kant and Manzoni to Klee and Malevič. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eText in English and Italian.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMaria Lai\u003c\/b\u003e (Ulassai 1919 Cardedu 2013) went to high school in Cagliari, where the writer Salvatore Cambosu was her literature teacher, passing on to her his love of poetry. Moving to Rome, she attended the Art Institute in Via di Ripetta as a pupil of Renato Marino Mazzacurati; she then studied at the Venice Academy of Fine Arts under Arturo Martini. In 1945, she returned to Sardinia and began teaching. She dropped paint as a medium in favor of \"poor\" materials such as textiles, creating sewn canvases and books, bread and terracotta sculptures and the first woven works that were to become the leitmotif of her research. In 1967, she created \u003ci\u003eOggetto-paesaggio\u003c\/i\u003e, a dismantled loom that was both an ancient object and a contemporary installation. In 1981, she created \u003ci\u003eLegarsi alla montagna\u003c\/i\u003e in Ulassai, the first relational work in Italy: the inhabitants of the village tied their houses together with a blue ribbon and then bound them to the mountain above as a symbol of harmony between man, nature and art. Maria Lai returned to live in Sardinia in the 1990s and continued to produce theatrical events and to experiment with various art forms: looms, sheets, books, geographies and sewn fairy tales. On Maria Lai, 5 Continents Editions has published the following volumes: \u003ci\u003eMaria Lai: Holding the Sun by the Hand\u003c\/i\u003e (2019), \u003ci\u003eMaria Lai: Legarsi alla montagna\u003c\/i\u003e (2021), \u003ci\u003eMaria Lai: I luoghi dell'arte a portata di mano\u003c\/i\u003e (2021); \u003ci\u003eMaria Lai: Mending Pain, Weaving Hope\u003c\/i\u003e (2022). \u003cb\u003eElena Pontiggia\u003c\/b\u003e is an art historian focusing on Italian and international art between the wars. She teaches at the Brera Academy and the Milan Polytechnic.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 60\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.5 x 13.2 x 9.2 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e October 31, 2024\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47405445972146,"sku":"9791254600849","price":45.81,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0770\/3891\/1666\/files\/D9d8984B3b9791254600849.webp?v=1782756223","url":"https:\/\/box.dadyminds.org\/products\/maria-lai-holding-the-shadow-by-the-hand-hardcover","provider":"DADYMINDS BOX","version":"1.0","type":"link"}