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By Maria Popova [munari_ges][munari_ges]Somewhere between his seminal manifestos on design as art and his timelessly delightful children's books, legendary Italian artist and graphic designer Bruno Munari made time for a number of idiosyncratic side projects. Among them is Speak Italian: The Fine Art of the Gesture (UK; public library) -- a charming, quirky, minimalist guide to Italians' expressive nonverbal communication originally published in 1958 as a supplement to the Italian dictionary, inspired by The Ancients' Mimic Through the Neapolitan Gestures, the first collection of gestures made by Canon Andrea de Jorio in 1832. Unlike the hefty and sparsely illustrated 380-page original tome, however, Munari's pocket-sized version features frugally descriptive text and ample, elegant black-and-white photographs of hand-gestures for everything from mundane activities like reading and writing to emotive expressions of praise and criticism. In the short preface, Munari notes the globalization of nonverbal vernacular, as Neapolitan gestures begin being recognized worldwide and American imports like "OK" permeate Italian culture, then promises: We have collected a good many gestures, leaving aside vulgar ones, in order to give an idea of their meaning to foreigners visiting Italy and as a supplement to an Italian dictionary. [munari_ges][munari_ges]Old Neapolitan gestures, from left to right: money, past times, affirmation, stupid, good, wait a moment, to walk backward, to steal, horns, to ask for. [munari_ges][munari_ges] Another illustrated page of the book of Canon Andrea de Jorio. Meaning of the gestures: silence, no, beauty, hunger, to mock, weariness, stupid, squint, to deceive, cunning. [munari_ges] [munari_ges]Gestures of drinking and eating (from an old Neapolitan print) [munari_ges][munari_ges]'You make a mockery of the 'madam'!' (from an old Neapolitan print) [munari_ges][munari_ges] [munari_ges][munari_ges] [munari_ges][munari_ges] [munari_ges][munari_ges] [munari_ges][munari_ges] [munari_ges][munari_ges] [munari_ges][munari_ges] [munari_ges][munari_ges] [munari_ges][munari_ges] [munari_ges][munari_ges] [munari_ges][munari_ges] [munari_ges][munari_ges] For a naughty twist, complement Speak Italian: The Fine Art of the Gesture with the surrealist chart of erotic hand signaling. donating = loving Each month, I spend hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars keeping The Marginalian (formerly Brain Pickings) going. For fifteen years, it has remained free and ad-free and alive thanks to patronage from readers. I have no staff, no interns, not even an assistant -- a thoroughly one-woman labor of love that is also my life and my livelihood. If this labor has made your own life more livable in the past year (or the past decade), please consider aiding its sustenance with a one-time or loyal donation. Your support makes all the difference. Monthly donation $3 / month $5 / month $7 / month $10 / month $25 / month START NOW One-time donation You can also become a spontaneous supporter with a one-time donation in any amount: GIVE NOW BITCOIN DONATION Partial to Bitcoin? You can beam some bit-love my way: 197usDS6AsL9wDKxtGM6xaWjmR5ejgqem7 CANCEL MONTHLY SUPPORT Need to cancel an existing donation? (It's okay -- life changes course. I treasure your kindness and appreciate your support for as long as it lasted.) You can do so on this page. Sunday newsletter The Marginalian has a free Sunday digest of the week's most mind-broadening and heart-lifting reflections spanning art, science, poetry, philosophy, and other tendrils of our search for truth, beauty, meaning, and creative vitality. Here's an example. Like? Claim yours: [ ] [ ] [ ] [Subscribe] midweek newsletter Also: Because The Marginalian is well into its second decade and because I write primarily about ideas of timeless nourishment, each Wednesday I dive into the archive and resurface from among the thousands of essays one worth resavoring. Subscribe to this free midweek pick-me-up for heart, mind, and spirit below -- it is separate from the standard Sunday digest of new pieces: [ ] [ ] [ ] [Subscribe] -- Published December 13, 2012 -- https://www.themarginalian.org/2012/12/13/ bruno-munari-speak-italian-gestures/ -- BP www.themarginalian.org BP PRINT ARTICLE EMAIL ARTICLE * Pocket * Facebook * Twitter * LinkedIn * Reddit * Pinterest * Filed Under artbooksBruno Munariculturedesignlanguagevintage View Full Site The Marginalian participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn commissions by linking to Amazon. 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