Urban
The precision and clarity of John D’Antonio’s diverse urban subjects lend startling immediacy and impact to his paintings that interpret creativity from the street. John’s urban work lacks limitation— and arguably results in a more authentic — work of art. John D’Antonio’s elaborate multicolored graffiti painting subjects created on building walls and subway cars continue to define the urban landscape. His interpretation of graffiti scenes captures the stage where color, vibrancy, sharp outlines and the placement of drips, result in a decorative appeal. The locations he paints include faraway places such as Genoa, Italy, and Paris, France to closer to home in New Hope, Pennsylvania.
D’Antonio combines multiple photos of his subject, figuring out his compositions in underpaintings using oil, acrylic paint, and airbrush. He moves elements as he begins working to strengthen his compositions and more closely control the effect. As a result, when people try to match his paintings with the actual location, they often discover surprising inconsistencies as a result of his interpretation.
D’Antonio produces paintings in which there are multiple focal points. Instead of using classical Renaissance-like perspectives, viewing a D’Antonio urban painting feels like one is constantly changing vantage points; like the effect of squinting or covering one eye, then the other, and seeing how that changes one’s view.