Lucio Trojano

Word of a Humorist

1 - A memory of Salone and Bordighera

I went to Bordighera in 1967 to collect an award; I had been participating in the Salone since 1955 and it was a great emotion to meet so many famous artists. Particularly strong and present for me was the knowledge and meeting with Cesare Perfetto, creator and organizer of the Salone.

2- What did you like the most about Salone

I have always loved the spirit, the atmosphere, the friendship that arises spontaneously between comedians from all over the world and the ‘small’ hours between bars and restaurants, between memories, anecdotes and projects for the future.

3 - What is it the humour for you?

Many consider humorous drawing a minor art; for me it is fantasy, freedom and love… practically a life project. Representing in a civilized humorous way the contradictory aspects of our society can reveal the sense of a positive interpretation of human behavior.

4 - Your life as a humorist, if you look back what cartoon do you see?

Humor for me is a serious thing. It does not limit itself to capturing a smile, it aims, instead, to arouse an introspective capacity to search for a possible truth.

5 - Were you born humorists or did you become such?

Every age experiences its own disenchantment. The unspecified age of each one infuses among others in mutual relationships, feelings, ideas and contents through its own forms of communication. The most congenial form in me has been revealed since youth through the synthesis of a simple and clear thought as my drawings show.

6 - Risk or caution, what has characterised your professional life the most?

In expressing myself, caution has been my guide. With an appreciated drawing (1972, Venice is to be saved) interpreted with rigid consideration, I risked serious legal consequences; a reversal of the interpretation has instead codified the exact, positive reading of the drawing.

7 - One of your cartoons that you'd like to dedicate today to the Salone, why?

A smiling pencil becomes a human mask, a symbol capable of characterising the humorous meeting of the Salone