Artist: Pascal Cucaro (1915-2004)
Subject: Floral
Medium: Oil on Board
Signed: Lower Right
Artwork Size: 12″ x 9″
Date of Creation: c. 1950
Region of Origin: USA
Provenance:
Biography: Artist Pascal Cucaro was born in Ohio in 1915, and passed his childhood summers working in the circus. He was said to have two passions in life, painting and love.
Although primarily inspired by Impressionists and Expressionists and such artists as Van Gough and Toulouse-Lautrec, he created his own style. He would say, “I am my own school. I paint Cucaro style.” His art evolved over time and was the result of the fusion of many influences and much experimentation. Favoring bright colors and a dynamic brush stroke, he would also incorporate linear definition and open perspectives in his paintings. He often would paint with heavy layers of medium- opaque and dense. Some times, he would paint with thin layers of transparency. For the finish, occasionally, he would leave the surface rough and often, he would finish the work with a thickly varnished surface. He was intrigued by different shapes and surfaces and liked to paint on those that differed from the usual rectangles and canvas. On narrow upright canvas, he’d paint street scenes of Naples, complete with laundry strung between the houses that lined the narrow alleyways. On thin strips of wood of yardsticks and rulers, he did expressive faces. On guitars and violins, he painted clown portraits. On round, oval or triangular shaped canvas or masonite, he did florals with exploding bright colors or galloping horsemen. He even painted on plexiglass, formica and sheets of steel and was even known to draw on paper plates or napkins when the moment arose.
He served from 1942-1945 in the US Army during WWII and was stationed in Georgia and London, England. It was upon his return that he started painting on his own and was determined to make a career of his art. Stimulated by his strong interest in art, Pat moved out west. He traveled through Phoenix, Arizona and then to Los Angeles and then finally settled in San Francisco. He attended the California School of Fine Arts from 1948-1952 and moved to the Montgomery Street, an area then known as the “Monkey Block”. Those were the Bohemian days of San Francisco, associated with the Beat era. Writers, philosophers, poets and artists frequented North Beach, and the many cafes and nightclubs became their gathering spots. He became acquainted with Enrico Banducci, owner of a nightclub called the hungry i and Pat exhibited paintings there as well as at the Fox and the Hound, the Iron Pot and the Black Cat Cafes. He settled in Sausalito, a picturesque artist community across the bay, just a short drive across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco where he continued to work and exhibit.
Throughout the years, this prolific artist had one man art shows, benefits, and exhibits. He was even at one time an art dealer and had his own gallery in San Francisco. Amongst his one man art shows were ones held at: the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio, at Stanford University, Palo Alto, Calif. International Gallery in Chicago and Pittsburg Plan for Art and many more. Amongst the many charities to which he donated the proceeds of the sales of his art were: National Association for the Visually Handicapped, Brevard Alzheimer’s Foundation, SF Aid of Retarded Children, Committee to Rescue Italian Art and Villa Maria Convent and many more. He exhibited at many galleries from the Frame House Art Gallery of Boardman, Ohio to the Cory Galleries, De Medici Gallery, City Gallery, Lyon Art Gallery of San Francisco and in Sausalito at the Village Faire, Shelby Art Gallery and the Connextions Gallery and at many more.
Price: $300
Recent Comments