Joseph Piccillo's large-scale canvases contrast masculine and feminine qualities, carefully balancing strength and power beside grace and beauty. Horses and ballerinas are central motifs in his current body of work. Through his detailed graphite depictions, Piccillo captures the dynamic movement of both forms, capturing moments of strength and grace. From the definition of muscle to the veins of the neck, Piccillo moves past the ability to create life-like images and creates a moment suspended in time.
Set against the silent black of his canvas, each figure commands individual attention while at the same time creating a dialogue of emotion amongst the figures of the piece. The white leaps from the canvas against the ambiguous backdrop, while bright splashes of color offer an abstract quality to Piccillo's work.
The artist received his B.S. Art Education in 1961 and his MS. Art Education in 1964 from the State University College of Buffalo, NY. Piccillo's work can be found in a number of public collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, Art Institute of Chicago and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago.
