The Books of Katsumi Komagata

The Books of Katsumi Komagata / ISBN 9788898030330 / 192-page softcover with jacket, published by Lazy Dog Press / text in English and Italian

***

The “book of books” by Katsumi Komagata, an essential work by the author published in 2013 by Les Trois Ourses, now appears for the first time in Italian, in a revised and updated edition. Komagata needs no introduction: suffice to recall the two instances when he revolutionized the children’s publishing sector. Beginning from the interweaving between his own life with that of his young daughter Ai and the sculptures characterizing her upbringing, Komagata has managed to forge a new artistic sensitivity thanks to the extreme simplification of forms and colours.

In his books the author represents a child’s view of the world and, following his or her growth processes, he accompanies the development of perception, creating a veritable pedagogical and anthropological study. After all, Komagata’s way of understanding children’s publishing is revolutionary in that the books themselves are full-fledged design objects: pop-up techniques, the Japanese art of origami or tangram are just a few of the many examples by way of which the author recovers the material value inherent to any book, for a rich encounter of colours, forms, and sensory stimuli. By so doing, the sensitivity that can be glimpsed in his books can only broaden their audience, which can also include adults.

The 192 pages of this book contain over 100 illustrations which offer a complete vision of the artist’s works. The book is addressed to all those who appreciate the figure of Komagata and what he represents for publishing, design, and the graphic arts around the world. The new Italian edition also includes the titles published by One Stroke, the author’s agency and publishing house, over the past five years.