Though Flavio Pellegrino’s oil paintings are distinctive due to his short, geometrically precise strokes of the palette knife, his primary subject is neither line nor the materiality of his medium. Pellegrino instead strives to depict light and color arising out of layers, which in turn illuminate both objects and emotional states. His paintings are animated by a push-pull dynamic that draws substance from chaos. The artist exercises masterly control over scattered marks, opposing colors and an instrument known for its bluntness to create images that are in some ways evocative of Monet’s famous water lilies, indistinguishably complicated at close range but unmistakable from the right distance. Pellegrino’s work, however, extends to both harsher and airier ends than Monet’s, and he revels in all kinds of light and palettes.
Born in Argentina and currently living in New York, Flavio Pellegrino has experienced the most remote and most populous corners of the world. He says all facets of his experience go into creating his voice; as he describes it, “My work is just a universe of colorful sensations.”
Visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-r7WDxF08E to view a video about the artist.