The two original illustrations on display belong to the illustrated book “La pioggia di stelle,” (The Rain of Stars), published in 1969 by the Patmos publishing house in Düsseldorf and translated into Italian for the first time in 2023 by Bohem Press.
Štěpán Zavřel chose to illustrate a fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, which tells the story of a poor orphan girl with no home, forced to wander the world.
Despite her hardships, the girl shares what little she has with those she encounters, even to the point of being left with nothing, not even clothes and shoes.
It’s at this moment, in the darkness of the night, that a rain of stars descends and adorns her with light.
The fairy tale carries the message of the importance of giving, of knowing how to give, and of giving oneself to others, a value particularly dear to the artist.
Štěpán Zavřel sets the fairy tale in a snowy landscape and uses acrylic techniques to create overlapping layers of paint to depict the snow, stars, and sky in perfect harmony.
Štěpán Zavřel was born in Prague in 1932; in 1959, after an adventurous escape from his home country, he arrived in Italy.
A versatile artist with international studies in painting, animation, scenography, and theatrical costume design, in 1968, he settled in Rugolo di Sarmede, attracting an international network of creatives. In 1983, he founded the International Exhibition of Children’s Illustration, and in 1988, the International School of Illustration. He passed away in Sarmede in 1999.
Illustrazione di Štěpán Zavřel, La pioggia di stelle, Bohem Press Italia, 2023.