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  • Luis Scafati:Argentina Illustrator

I work with the gesture; it's how I feel it. Drawing has to do with dancing, with movement. I usually stand and move while drawing, I move the canvas, place it on the floor ... I feel that within this dancing I leave a trace, and this trace is my drawing.

Luis Scafati

Born in Mendoza, Argentina in 1947, Luis Scafati grew up reading the comics in his family's newspaper and magazine kiosk in Mendoza. He began contributing his own comics to local newspapers by the age of seventeen. While studying sculpture at the National University of Cuyo, Scafati continued to sell both comics and art to magazines and newspapers such as Clarín, La Nacíon, Sur and Perfil, under the pseudonym "Fati."

Luis Scafati has illustrated the works of Franz Kafka, Edgar Allan Poe, Gogol, Ray Bradbury, Ricardo Piglia, José Hernández, and Miguel de Cervantes, among others. He works primarily in black, using heavy crosshatching and delicate lines to convey a world both dark and sensitive, while often ironic. Professor Carlos Silveyra noted, "His illustrations are truly works of art; subtle, refined, and imaginative. Black color is used with finesse and great care. Black ink can be seen everywhere and we feel the power of his lines. He sets no boundaries on the imagination of children, introducing readers to the world of art."

Scafati described his artistic process in an interview, "I work with gesture; it's how I feel it. Drawing has to do with dancing, with movement. I usually stand and move while drawing, I move the canvas, place it on the floor… I feel that within this dancing I leave a trace, and this trace is my drawing." Critics have noted this movement in his art, describing the "fury," "tenderness," and "violence" in his work.

Besides creating illustrations for books and comics, Scafati also paints murals and has also worked in advertising. His advertising art is collected in Tita China. His drawings and paintings have been displayed at many museums and galleries around the world, including Argentina, Spain, Germany, and Korea, among other places.

Luis Scafati has illustrated more than fifty titles and has received numerous awards for his work. In 2003, he was decorated as an illustrious citizen of his Mendoza province, where he created a mural for the Independencia city theater. His work has been published in Argentina, Spain, Mexico, Korea, Italy, Brazil, England, the Czech Republic, and Greece. He currently lives and works in Buenos Aires.

Selected Bibliography

Acerca del Vino. By Ricardo Ianne, Bodegas Bianchi, and Alejandro Bianchi (2000) San Rafael: Bodegas Valentine Bianchi.
Lo Que Cuentan Los Inuit. By Olga Monkman (2000) Mondadori: Sudamericana Editorial.
Cuidad Ausente. By Ricardo Piglia and Pablo de Santis (2000) Buenos Aires: Ediciones Océano Argentina.
El Gato Negro. By Edgar Allan Poe (2005) Buenos Aires: Guadal.
La Metamorfosis. By Franz Kafka (2005) Madrid: Panoplia Export. [End Page 2]
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