Born in Garbagnate Milanese, Milan, Emanuele Dascanio is a hyperrealist Italian artist, known for creating breathtaking hyperrealistic artworks that blend the classic and contemporary, and echo techniques handed down from renaissance masters. Using oil paints or a combination of charcoal and graphite, drawing from life, his immense artworks can take upto 780 dedicated hours to complete.
"Depositio Maddalenae"
Emanuele Dascanio
charcoal and graphite on paper
Emanuele is an artist who is able to delight in the majesty of the world around him, this beautiful universe, that he sees contained in the shape of things, their light and colour, their living story of creation. In this philosophy, a single pomegranate seed can mirror the world. He is an observer who finds the macro in the micro: the grandiose meaning in the smallest of details and is sensitive to the soul beating at the heart of everything around us. His inspirational and creatively free upbringing, in his belief, revealed a path to this particularly special world of art and today his unique artistic vision, empathetic curiosity and expertise translates into awe-inspiring and moving works of art.
"Fortuna et Contingentia"
Emanuele Dascanio
charcoal and graphite on paper
His has not been an easy path, although he was surrounded by art and inspiration from a young age, during his university years he had a vast period of doubt in which he believed he would never again pick up a brush or want to paint. He recalls that it was a truly difficult period and that three or four years of creative stagnation went by before he opened the door to Gianluca Corona’s art studio, an esteemed Italian painter, who would become his longstanding mentor. Gianluca was able to help him make the seeds of his great potential flower into full bloom, he says, “Gianluca Corona taught me to connect the arm and the mind with the heart, and that without this trinity and intercommunication, no true artwork can emerge”1
“Alef – Beit”
Emanuele Dascanio
charcoal and graphite on paper on canvas
His works speak of philosophy and contain much symbolism, most predominantly around the theme of life, which he understands as an uncontainable force that we can never fully grasp or hold onto, “a drop of water on the back of your hand or on the surface of a lemon is enough to understand that behind these natural elements is a beautiful creation of which mankind are a mere part”II . The vast expanse of existence is something that we as human beings contemplate and in doing so seek to find our place within it, this takes time and cannot be rushed, just like bringing the soul of an artwork into existence cannot be rushed. In fact, Emanuele explains, time plays its own role in the act of a work’s unfolding: it is born through the artist’s contemplation and the forging of a real connection with a subject. From the darkness into the light; stroke by stroke, layer by layer and with all the power he has Emanuele seeks authenticity, to reach and reveal the true essence of the artwork as it breathes into life, so that it might reach others, and speak a kind of truth.
“The Father does not want a divorce with Die Mutter. This is my Father”
Emanuele Dascanio
charcoal and graphite on paper
In addition to the beauty we behold, one of the things we learn through Emanuele’s work is that we must look deeply and thoughtfully at the world around us, beyond the surface, even to better understand ourselves. He is able to focus in on the hidden details, revealing a new perspective to us, and reminding us what matters.
“O Fortuna”
Emanuele Dascanio
Charcoal and graphite on paper
Emanuele Dascanio and his magnificent works of art have already received recognition and captured the imagination of so many people around the world and 2018/9 is surely set to become a fantastic season for this highly talented artist. He is currently working on a highly guarded large-scale artwork which he began two years ago, and will complete the finishing touches on in December 2018. This artwork, a labour of love will be presented at the opening ceremony of a highly prestigious exhibition in New York on the 19th of September in 2019. In the meantime to hear directly from the artist himself and glimpse the story Behind 6 Pictures, watch this fantastic short film.
Images
Images courtesy of and included with the permission of Emanuele Dascanio, all copyrights relating to these images belong to Emanuele Dascanio
References
i. Emanuele Dascanio
ii. Emanuele Dascanio