Massimo Polello - The Liberty of the "Liberty" - Mar 6, 20 & Apr 3, 2026

This three-day workshop, open to all levels, aims to examine the fluid, expressive, and sometimes idiosyncratic letters created by Art Nouveau artists and designers from the 1890s through the early 20th century.

In the 1890s and early 20th century, artists and designers across Europe created lettering that broke away from traditional expectations of classical proportions, predictable placement of thicknesses, notions of internal balance, consistent spacing, and legibility. Sometimes the letters undulated, swelled or crept to create unexpected contortions in keeping with the floral aspects and taste of the time. Art Nouveau was for all intents and purposes a time of glorious freedom for letters. 

Letters were often seen as an integral part of the design, on par with illustrations and ornaments. In fact, these letters are actually DRAWN, distancing themselves sharply from classical calligraphy.

We witness for the first time what we now call "lettering design" that is, a kind of "font" of the period. 

Students will be introduced to the wide range of letters and forms of the Art Nouveau period, we will analyze and explore the methods and techniques used by these artists and designers, focusing on the varied possibilities of deformations to make letters elegant and functional for aesthetic composition. 

​By appropriating of the fantastic liberty suggested by these letters, students will eventually be guided to the creation and composition first of their own monogram, then simple words up to more complex compositions where the protagonist will be the intertwining and interlocking of these magnificent shapes.

The Liberty of the "Liberty"
Massimo Polello, Hosted By The Gentle Penman

Live (Also recorded for later viewing)

6, 20 March & 3 April 2026
17:30 pm – 19:30 pm (Hong Kong Time)

Class Cost : HKD 1,000.00 or USD 130.00
Registration Link : https://www.thegentlepenman.com/the-liberty-of-the-liberty

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