Trionfo Di Virtu. Libro Novo..., page 3 (verso) 1563

This is page 3 from 'Trionfo Di Virtu. Libro Novo...', made by Matteo Pagano around the mid-16th century. The print presents a grid of floral designs, each meticulously framed within its own square. The composition relies on the interplay between the rigidity of the grid and the organic forms of the flowers, creating a visual tension. The use of line is particularly striking. Each flower is rendered with fine, deliberate lines that define their contours and inner structures. This emphasis on line lends a sense of precision and order to the natural world, transforming the fluidity of life into controlled and structured forms. The print engages with the human desire to categorize and understand the natural world through visual systems. By organizing these floral forms into a grid, the artist imposes a semiotic structure, allowing the viewer to appreciate the diversity within a controlled framework. The work challenges us to reconsider the intersection of nature and artifice, where the beauty of flowers is mediated through the formal constraints of the grid.