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The Curious Lithography of Manuel Orazi (1860-1934).

There is very little known, historically, about artist Manuel Orazi, other than the fact that he was an Italian born lithographer known for his works in newspapers, book covers, opera posters, and the covers of sheet music in France between 1883 and 1884.  Most notably, however, in 1895, he collaborated with author Austin De Croze in creating the grotesquely aesthetic occult calendar entitled Calendrier Magique; an art nouveau calendar of black magic. With Orazi’s typical work showcasing elegant young women in dainty attire, creating this piece was a bit unexpected. According to Cornell University, it is “a rare piece of occultist ephemera, printed in an edition of 777 copies to commemorate magic for the coming year of 1896.  Each double page spread mimics the Christian calendar in some respect (name days, iconography). The document is at once a spoof and an attempt to chart the year of magic. Its surviving interest resides in the extravagant and compelling illustrations, especially the full-page right hand plates, by Manuel Orazi.”

It is amazing to view these pieces, not only for their rarity, but for the great curiosity they hold for such a lack of information on the occult-driven creators, symbolism behind the artwork, and inspiration for creating it. Being that this body of work is quite different from his commercial publications, it is very intriguing to wonder why Manuel Orazi created it and who he truly was as an artist. Perhaps the best artwork is that which leaves most to the imagination.

Photos by R. W. Hughs; Caption notes by The Fantastic in Art & Fiction collection from Cornell University.

4 Comments

4 Comments

  1. Joe

    August 8, 2011 at 9:38 pm

    I always love coming upon images that provide some inspiration. That Cornell Collection is a treasure trove. Thanks for this.

  2. perrin

    August 7, 2011 at 2:26 am

    Truly amazing !

  3. rachael

    August 6, 2011 at 7:09 am

    i love your posts!

    • Amy

      August 7, 2011 at 3:57 am

      Thanks! 😀 Thank you so much for reading them!

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