La Memoria dell'Acqua

Designed for a Icon Magazine Italia column by Cristina Di Canio dedicated to books, featuring an interview with Christian Verardi about his debut novel "La memoria dell’acqua".

This illustration was originally conceived as a double-page spread where the central fold would serve as a temporal border between 1992 and 2022. Although editorial requirements led to it being printed as a single full-page piece, the composition retains its striking dual nature. It contrasts the "Grande Albergo" in its 1990s prime—complete with a period-accurate VW Golf III—against its modern-day decay, all linked by a continuous waterline that mirrors the book’s theme: water as an indelible archive where the secrets of the past eventually resurface

Connected by a continuous waterline, the piece mirrors the book’s central theme: water as an indelible archive where the tragic secrets of the past resurface thirty years later.

Designed as a process piece, here are the two initial rough concepts presented to the publisher. Both directions offer distinct ways to interpret the central themes of the novel, with the second ultimately becoming the basis for the final polished illustration.

The first concept is a "noir and enigmatic" direction, focusing on the psychological state of the main character of the book. It depicts him, Romeo, running on a dark mountain path. The central symbolic element is his shadow, which is cast as the form of a woman, a metaphor for being haunted by the past. This approach prioritizes emotional tension and mystery over a literal plot summary.

The second concept was selected for its direct and clear storytelling. It utilizes a diptych-style, before-and-after narrative structure that maps onto the novel's dual timeline.

This approach was chosen for its effectiveness in summarizing the core concept of the story.

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