Matteo Berton's considered illustrations of a Nazi raid on a Jewish community

Italy-based illustrator Matteo Berton has created a series of wonderful illustrations for Anna Foa’s children’s book, Portico d’Ottavia, which was the heart of Rome’s Jewish ghetto for half a millennium. The book travels back to October 16 1943 and details the Nazi raid of the Jewish community that took place there.

With undercurrents of navy and peach throughout, this soft palette manages to convey the tension while keeping in mind the book’s young audience and focuses on the idea of escape rather than the grim details. The Nazi soldiers are cloaked in dark tones whereas the family we follow are in warm neutrals creating a lovely contrast. The way Matteo has played with space is beautiful, bravely leaving large expanses of peacock blue as we creep around corners and climb steep stairs. Thoughtful and considered it’s a story that needs to be told but takes a sensitive eye like Matteo’s to tell it.