Franco Caprioli, L’ Ussaro della morte

Franco Caprioli, L’ Ussaro della morte. China su cartoncino, cm 54x38.


Franco Caprioli was borni in Mompeo on the 5th of April in 1912.
At first, he starts studying the art of painting by taking lessons, in 1934 he realizes a mural in the Farfa Benedectine Abbey.
He then moves to Roma where he exposes his works at the S.A.C.A. Gallery in an exhibition sponsored by notorious Liberty artists. From 1937 he devotes himself to illustrating and drawing: he publishes on different regulars like the “Argentovivo” and debuts as a comic artist by publishing on the “Vittorioso”, a magazine that he’ll collaborate with until 1964.
At the same time he starts collaborating with the “L’Audace” where he publishes the series “La perla nera” written by Gian Luigi Bonelli.
He realizes for “Topolino” the work the will be recognized as his masterpiece “L’isola Giovedì”, a story located in the southern seas.
Caprioli is a very talented artist for what concerns the graphic style, a kind of drawing that’s clean, linear and precise, with shades full of thick dots but also for the number of the evocative adventurous novels of the 1950s, often set in the southern seas.
For the editions Pegaso publishes “L'isola tabù” and “L'ometto Pic”, then he starts again a collaboration with “Topolino” and “Il Vittorioso” that will last until 1964. Then he makes mostly illustrations for “Il Giornalino”. From 1948 to 1964 he realizes comic stories for the French publishing houses “Impéria” and “L'Épatant”.
He later works mainly for the Italian magazine “Il Giornalino” for whom he draws stories and new adaptations of literary works like "L'isola misteriosa", "Michele Strogoff" and "I figli del capitano Grant" other than cover illustrations. From 1972 he starts collaborating with “Spada Editori” as well.
In the 1960s he realizes adventure comic series published by “Epipress” for whom he will work until his death in 1974.
For “Il Giornalino” he makes in 1970 “L’Isola misteriosa” followed by other transpositions of works by Verne like “Un capitano di quindici anni”, and classics of literary of adventure like “Moby Dick”.
Starting from 1971 he starts working for “Fratelli Spada” as well.
He dies because of a stroke in Rome on the 8th of February 1974.