Anthony Giacomino is a surprisingly young digital artist. I was shocked to discover that he weighs in at only 22 years old, as his recent art works reveal a character far more mature than I’d expect from someone barely out of their teens.
His early art works are highly experimental, with a definite abstract influence. Giacomino says that during his teens he was influenced by abstract artists such as Wassily Kandinsky, and enjoys abstract design because it frees him from needing to portray a definite meaning in an art work. He likes to leave the interpretation of a piece to the viewer. When there is nothing obscure, mysterious or hidden within a painting, the piece becomes dull; something simply to rest your eyes on. So Giacomino allows his art works to whisper that there are secrets within them, but you’ll have to figure them out on your own. The allure of his art works is the invitation to scrutinize the painting and decipher its secrets for yourself.
The progression of Giacomino’s art style has been an interesting one. While learning Photoshop, his digital paintings were abstract graphic design pieces. As he became more comfortable with Photoshop and with his own artistic talent, Giacomino’s Photoshop art works began to take on more form and symbolic structure. It was around this time that he became influenced by Salvador Dali, the world’s most renowned surrealist painter. Dali’s works have a sexual undercurrent that is largely expressed through the use of phallic symbols, whereas in many of Giacomino’s art works there are feminine symbols such as chalice shapes and spheres. Love for the female form seems to play a large role in Giacomino’s style, adding a sensual element to his graphic designs that many digital artists lack.
Anthony Giacomino is self-taught, influenced and inspired only by art works that he finds online or through print and televised media. His lack of formal training sets this artist apart from the teeming mass of digital artists pumped out by design schools each year because his skill and technique are purely his own -not influenced by art teachers or peers. This young artist is bound to go far and is worth keeping an eye on. Go to Anthony Giacomino’s art website for more illustrative Photoshop art works, or visit him on DeviantArt.
