Veritas(left) by – Bruno Capolongo.
This work titled Veritas (latin for Truth) includes images by contemporary photographer Andres Serrano (Piss Christ) and Titian (Sacred and Profane Love). While the piece is rich with conceptual meaning it is no less concerned with beauty, which is itself meaning.There are a number of principles by which I live and work as an artist with increasing conviction. I believe in the supremacy of beauty and form. The aesthetic power of an artwork is more important than any underlying conceptual or theoretical component.
This is because beauty is not merely a vehicle for meaning, but is itself meaningful, good and just. While conceptual underpinnings may abound in some of my work I maintain that the integrity or strength of the image itself is of greater importance. In my own work I believe that all subjects – whether landscape, still-life, figurative or architectural – must be treated equally.
A truly great landscape painting, then, is no less important than a Royal portrait – because of how it is made. There is really no hierarchy of subject-matter. This is why I say it is not what you paint, it is how you paint it. Finally, it has long been my belief that the most intelligent and successful artists draw from two sources of influence, the well of history, and the fountain of modernity. The artist who ignores either may languish or stumble.
This is why I study the Old Masters carefully and respectfully, while ever aware of the dangers of merely initiating the artistic ideals of a bygone era. Although it is still early in his career, Bruno Capolongo has established himself on the Canadian art scene. A Hamilton, Ontario born artist with Italian roots, Bruno has shown his art work in over seventy exhibitions – including 16 solo shows – primarily in Canada and the United States, but also in Japan.
Veritas(left) by – Bruno Capolongo.