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| Gianni Monteleone first studied painting at sixteen years old with his grandfather, Franco Monteleone, who was a successful illustrator and woodgrainer. During the Great Depression, Franco supported four families with his artistic talent. Gianni was in the fine art department at the School of Visual Arts in the 1980s, which was heavily influenced by abstract expressionist and pop art movements. He wanted to study classical, traditional painting, so he sought out painters who would give him the training he wanted. Gianni graduated with a BFA in painting under the guidance of figure painter Steven Assael. There is the old saying, Art is in the eye of the beholder; for Gianni, it is in the execution of form and representation/reflection of nature. He feels passionately about his craft and because of his passion he also feels drawn toward educating people to some degree about what they are seeing in a painted piece. People are drawn to art because of subjective preference for shapes, colors, content, texture, etc. Gianni favors classical realism, but accepts all expressions that are honest. What does honest mean? We know it on an intuitive level, we can see it in an effort through craft and an expression of emotion. It goes along with Gianni's preference for the question why is there art, not what is art. He relies on his detailed knowledge of art history, discipline of craft, philosophy and science from which he draws both his inspiration and skill. And like many craftsman, he is not satisfied. This drives him on. Additionally, Gianni is an accomplished Martial Artist. He is a former competitive Thai Boxer and has extensive training in over a dozen Martial Art forms, including Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do concepts. He is still devoted to this kind of mental and physical training, which contributes to his reverence for honesty and self expression. Links: |
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