ANTONIO CARREÑO

               Born Santo Domingo, D.R.

               Lives & works USA

 

The legacy of surrealism in Latin American Art is redefined in the energetic lines and the vibrant concepts of Antonio Carreno, an artist born in the Dominican Republic. the images in his mixed media paintings and pastels are inspired by cherished memories of his early life in the islands, where he experienced the simplicity and joy of the natural world.

 

Although the spontaneous gestures in Carreno's work recalls the whimsical symbols of Miro or the floating figures of Chagall, Carreno structures his paintings meticulously with emphasis in the detail and symmetry. with a graceful ease, fragments of objects impressions assemble and maneuver across the surface of each, fluctuating from fantasy to illusion.

 

The impasto ground is an arena for the action of diagrammatic lines, which whirl and twist playfully across the canvas, delineating and organizing the interactive images.

 

Carreno shapes the pliant surface with an assortment of tools in order to capture a delicate sweep of light and shadow. Then he brushes layers of paint in thick strokes and thin washes, building on accessible dimensional surface prime to integrate his imagery.

 

The artist is lured by the inherent harmony of the organic colors of the earth and enriches the subtlety of his mute palette with calligraphy of transparent veils of color. Carreno captures both the nuance and vitality of life in his works, allowing viewers to contemplate a powerful aesthetic vision, in which lingers subconsciously beyond each elusive moment.

 

            Marcia Corbino

 

           Art historian, writer and critic

           Sarasota, FL