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After living through the First World War in Germany, Mochi returned to Italy in 1919. He continued to sing under the name Signore Fiorentino. Meanwhile his entrancing paper-cut outlines were attracting greater attention in his home country, earning him significant commissions for Italian companies Campari and Pirelli.
His wife, June, through her many concerts, had earned the reputation as one of the great interpreters of Bach, Handel, and Mozart.
One of his major Italian commissions, Mochi created over 200 lighthearted images for Campari’s internationally renowned liqeur.
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Mochi also excelled at crafting “silk mosaics,” scenes finely cut out of black paper, backed by resplendently colored silks, and carefully pressed between two panes of glass. Lit from behind, these delicate creations shone luminously, redolent of a stained-glass window.
In 1924, as Mochi’s reputation as a master of “shadows in outline” spread around the globe, the Pathé News Company produced a 3-minute silent newsreel on the young artist. Seen on his porch in Pallanza on Lago Maggiore in Italy, Mochi sketches his pets, demonstrates his process, and showcases a few select masterpieces to a global audience.
During a concert tour in London in 1922, Mochi was invited to display his works in a major exhibition; the show, the first to exclusively feature his awe-inspiring outline art, proved to be a thundering success, attracting distinguished admirers. Queen Mary of England herself purchased the prize piece, Oxcart and Olive Tree in Tuscany. From that moment on, Mochi decided to concentrate all of his efforts on his outline art.
