Luciano Primavera

Italian artist Luciano Primavera has found that over the course of a decades-long career as a painter, sculptor and draughtsman, the lessons of Modern art have enriched his exploration of classical forms and images, particularly in his preferred subjects for canvases: portraits, nudes and still lifes. The landscapes appearing behind his precisely painted subjects evoke Impressionism, though his choice of palette could be deemed Fauvist and the sharpness with which he renders lines and forms amidst dazzling luminosity approaches Hyperrealism. But his sensitivity to light and tone is truly unique, bridging the classical, modern and contemporary.

The sense of contrast between light and dark in his expertly applied oils suggests watercolors at first glance, particularly as the paint admits light so plentifully, almost as if all his images are set under a midsummer sun. His purples, reds and greens are particularly stunning, going from pale to impenetrably thick and somber in a flash. Primavera’s formal rigor and visual style prove endlessly fruitful.