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Carmelo Gannello: |
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Carmelo Gannello: |
Carmelo Gannello,
Illinois, United States,
Running River,
woodblock print (9" x 11"), 1977"I would have to say my disability has greatly influenced my art. It has definitely changed from largely representational to a semi-abstract style. I use black and white circles and blobs called floaters that are illuminated by very bright lightning flashes that I see constantly in my vision as an artform."Carmelo Gannello, whose interest in art began early in life, attended the National Academy of Design in New York City from 1937 to 1940. It wasn't until 1976, however, that he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Art Institute of Chicago. Working with oil, conté, pastel, watercolor, linocut and mixed media, his early scenes of New York City living were influenced by regionalistic and pictorial styles of painting. He also worked as a commercial artist. In 1956, at 36 years of age, Gannello sustained a retinal detachment after an accident in Joliet, Illinois. Now legally blind, his art is based in the circles and shapes that he sees in his eyes. Metaphorically, and to Gannello, these become road signs, game boards, circles, halos, spots and suns. He uses his "vision" to create a living statement about how a visually impaired person sees the world around him. Gannello is represented in numerous collections, including the Museum of the City of New York, the University of Illinois, Amoco, and the Art Institute of Chicago.
