Averardo Ciriello, 'Dagli amici mi guardi Iddio' cover painting, 1993

Averardo Ciriello (1918-2016) - cover for ‘Dagli amici mi guardi Iddio’, I Casi Della Vita #113, 1993, 46x33cm tempera on board.

A brilliant exponent of figurative expression and theatrical movement, Ciriello’s cover painting, for one of the Casi Vita comic book series, displays pathos and humour here at a Shakespearian level. As a Don Quixote type victim falls, a gorgeous muse looks down with a larger than life smile (literally - reference the over-wide mouth) and the composition becomes a perfect vehicle for the central title on the cover. See the additional image of the verso for the instructions to the typographer. The title translates as ‘God save me from friends’.

The stunner at the top bears more than a striking resemblance (delightfully enhanced) to Maria Grazia Beccella, top Italian glamour model and actress of the 1960s, whom Ciriello featured on at least one other cover painting (detail shown as additional image).

A minor masterpiece illustrative of male misfortune and female enjoyment of it.