Few means of artistic expression have as great an influence on the
surroundings as architecture. Architectural works become an integral
part of a place; they are both its soul and its physical form.
Buildings are born in a particular time and must accept the challenge
of the specific moment, set within contexts that are always new, yet
maintaining their own identity.
For this reason the works of
Andrea Palladio are timeless. Responsive to local needs, he was at the
same time able to speak a universal language, thanks to simple rules of
design, an attention to the details of construction, and an ability to
communicate.
Five hundred years after his birth, the Region of
the Veneto celebrates an artist more closely identified with it than
almost any other, one who is well known from Europe to the Americas,
and from India to Australia.
Palladio's universality will involve, in an ambitious project, the
cultural institutions of three countries and two continents. A large
exhibition will open in Vicenza in September 2008, travelling to London
and then to Washington the following year. In addition, a large
travelling convention will bring the most well-known Palladio scholars
to the Veneto from all over the world. Moleskine is working
with the Region of the Veneto once again, continuing a happy
collaborative effort begun last year with a volume devoted to the
architectures of work and of production.
This year Palladio is celebrated with a new project: a
limited-edition weekly diary with a red cover personalized with the
logo of the Region of the Veneto. It is accompanied by a catalog
"Palladian Architecture in the Veneto 1508-2008." This precious
pocket-sized object, a book, a guide, and a catalog all in one, gathers
together almost all of Palladio's work still extant in the Veneto.
Every architectural object, monument, and villa is decribed and
photographed, with a comprehensive list of all the information needed
for a visit.
All in all a project devoted to communication, with
great attention to detail, for the benefit of a heritage that the
Region of the Veneto is proud to celebrate.
