GIANNI STRINO

Lighting the Way

In his latest series of paintings, Gianni Strino moves portraits beyond their traditional definition as the artwork tells a story through the atmosphere and surroundings. As with all of Strino’s pieces there is a focus on the lighting effects, which can be theatrical or diffused depending on the situation. These fresh works will be on view at Lotton Gallery throughout the month of September.

Christina Franzoso, director of the Chicago-based gallery, says, “Gianni Strino conveys comfort, warmth, passion, love and beauty in his new collection of paintings. His masterful touch is a striking combination with his sense of light.”

Among his latest pieces is Dreaming, which depicts a woman wearing a black outfit swept away in a dream as she rests on a sofa. In describing the work, Strino says, “The atmosphere—a little Baroque, which gives meaning to the model that languidly dreams lying on a sofa—is what led me to do this painting. Looking in the widespread colors [is] the realization of it, enhanced by the few and very strong chromatic points made up of precious stones that surround the dress.”

The White Parasol, of a young woman holding a decorative umbrella, is another work that has been informed solely by the light. “The inspiration was the sunlight that filters through a white fabric and with lace—the umbrella—creating plays of light and soft shadows as to exalt the delicacy of the young model,” he says.

Other pieces, such as Garden Flowers and Awaiting, are driven more by the stories he is telling. The former painting, for example, hints at the blending of nature with the figure as the model puts a flower behind her ear. Awaiting tells the tale of “the mythological character Penelope, wife of Ulysses, and the proverbial expectation of the return of the groom from the mythical and long war of Troy.”