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Born to Italian parents, Aldo was raised in
Argentina. While growing up he was exposed to several of the arts
including painting and playing the piano. But his true love when
young was playing soccer. Painting and soccer are like walking to
me. So natural.
In fact, after graduating from the Academy of Fine Art in Buenos
Aires, Aldo Luongo played professional soccer for the New York
Cosmos. A few relocations, injuries, and a stint as a jewelry
designer later, the artist completed the circle by returning to
painting.
A look at Aldo Luongo’s work tempts one to say, Of course, he has to
paint. It’s fundamental to the man’s essence. And so it is.
Flatteringly reviewed as a Post-Impressionist by the New York Times, Luongo confesses that at first he was annoyed at being categorized.
However, since many of his favorite painters were Impressionists he
also understood the sincerity of the compliment. Every artist adapts
the best qualities of his favorite artists, but I’m always conscious
of capturing bits of life, of reality, of situations, of people.
It’s my space in time.
Black and White Prints Leaving behind the gentle utopias of
Impressionism, Aldo Luongo captures his subjects in a more direct
way. I attack a canvas like I play soccer – with vigor. Soccer is my
counterpoint to painting. While painting, I’m confined, lonely,
enmeshed in emotions and self-doubt. Then comes the sweat and focus
of a really good game and I feel whole again. Life is a matter of
balance.
Aldo Luongo and his art evoke true emotion with every canvas. He
describes his work as possessing strength, vibrancy, and feeling.
For him the real journey is told by Aldo’s most recognizable image,
Aguilucho or The Hawk, a self portrait of the artist, himself, with
the character of the ultimate old man, my future self.
What makes the Hawk so compelling? Look at the eyes – they mirror
the soul of a man who has lived a rich, full life and still sees joy
in every moment. They are the eyes that create the canvases of Aldo Luongo.
Aldo Luongo has earned both critical praise and celebrity
collectors. Edward G. Robinson, Anthony Quinn, Kevin Costner, Dionne
Warwick, Bill Cosby, Yul Brynner, Charlton Heston, and Rob Reiner,
to name a few, have been touched by Aldo’s imagery. In addition,
Aldo was named official artist for The Olympic Committee at the 1988
Summer Games, has a commissioned work which is displayed in The
Kennedy Museum in Boston, two years in a row was selected to
participate in The White House Easter Egg Hunt, where his painted
"eggs" are now on display at the world-renowned Smithsonian Museum. |
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