D come disegno. Della regola e dell’invenzione

The essay offers a new insight into the practice of the artist Giulio Paolini. Taking its cue from the special connection bridging the historic tradition of "Accademia" and the artist's main interests, I expand on a few relevant notions defining the work of Paolini and investigate how the foundations of the history and tradition of Accademia, dating back to the mid-16th century, resonate with the major aspects of his art. The importance assigned by Paolini to drawing and disegno, the truth and transparency of the image, the studio as a space of creation and an extension of his own mind, the frame and pedestal as devices which show as much as hide the image, could be interpreted through a comparison with the rules of Accademia, as they were transmissed and discussed in treatises and essays throughout the centuries.