Sandro del Prete
Encyclopedia
Sandro Del-Prete is a Swiss artist who paints figures, situations and processes that cannot exist in the real world. Del-Prete ‘materializes the well-known psychological effect, of the difference between ‘looking’ (usually the first glace of an observer) and ‘seeing’ (when things are appreciated more thoroughly in the mind)’ – Abraham Tamir. Comparisons can be drawn between Del-Prete and Escher’s artwork, although they differ in subject matter, style, mood and technique. Del-Prete greatly admires Escher and believes that they are ‘kindred spirits’, however the viewer will find very little mathematical precision in Del-Prete’s work, something that is always present in Escher’s work.
in 1937 and went to school in Fribourg, Switzerland
. When he had completed his schooling at his father’s bidding, and had saved enough, Del-Prete finally decided to dedicate himself to his passion, painting. When he was twenty-three Del-Prete spent six months in Florence, Italy
, where he attended the Florence Academy of Art. He studied the techniques of light and shadow, form design, colour and the structural elements of the old masters such as Michelangelo
, Rembrandt and Rubens
. When he returned to Switzerland
, Del-Prete immersed himself in creating religious and symbolic art. Del-Prete never tried to sell his work but looked at it as a hobby, and started a career in the insurance industry to support his family. During this period, Del-Prete experimented with drawing, painting and sculpture.
Del-Prete’s interest in Illusionism sprang from his observation of a chameleon
. He wondered ‘what the animal really saw, what picture it had of its own world’. He began to look upon different perspectives and in the early 1960s began creating illustrations that would lead to his later ‘illusiry’ images. Del-Prete began to experiment, drawing scenes and objects that could be looked at from two different viewpoints. From that experiment arose a new type of illusionism, whereby ‘normal terms like front, back, top, bottom, right, and left could no longer be used’. His earliest drawing from this period, which draws upon double-perspective, is ‘Window Gazing’ completed in 1961.
Del-Prete experimented with other illusions where objects broke free of their picture frames and into the surrounding environment, and ‘ambiguous images’, where the meaning altered between two different perceptions.
In 1981 Del-Prete published privately his first collection of black and white pencil drawings. It was successful enough for him to publish a second collection in 1987.
His passion and hard work started to pay off and in 1984 he had a groundbreaking exhibition of his illusionary art at the Phenomena Show in Zurich
. He started to devote all his time to the creation of illusionary images and in the same year he opened up a gallery in Bern, which was highly successful. A few years later, he created his own illusion themed fun house and art gallery
, Illusoria-Land, located in Ittigen, Switzerland.
have found fault with Del-Prete’s technical craftsmanship, his ‘impossible’ images are highly original. Unfortunately, several artists borrowed heavily from Del-Prete’s illusionary drawings and concepts without acknowledging their source.
Biography
Del-Prete was born in Bern, SwitzerlandBerne
The city of Bern or Berne is the Bundesstadt of Switzerland, and, with a population of , the fourth most populous city in Switzerland. The Bern agglomeration, which includes 43 municipalities, has a population of 349,000. The metropolitan area had a population of 660,000 in 2000...
in 1937 and went to school in Fribourg, Switzerland
Fribourg
Fribourg is the capital of the Swiss canton of Fribourg and the district of Sarine. It is located on both sides of the river Saane/Sarine, on the Swiss plateau, and is an important economic, administrative and educational center on the cultural border between German and French Switzerland...
. When he had completed his schooling at his father’s bidding, and had saved enough, Del-Prete finally decided to dedicate himself to his passion, painting. When he was twenty-three Del-Prete spent six months in Florence, Italy
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, where he attended the Florence Academy of Art. He studied the techniques of light and shadow, form design, colour and the structural elements of the old masters such as Michelangelo
Michelangelo
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni , commonly known as Michelangelo, was an Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer who exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art...
, Rembrandt and Rubens
Rubens
Rubens is often used to refer to Peter Paul Rubens , the Flemish artist.Rubens may also refer to:- People :Family name* Paul Rubens Rubens is often used to refer to Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), the Flemish artist.Rubens may also refer to:- People :Family name* Paul Rubens (composer) Rubens is...
. When he returned to Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, Del-Prete immersed himself in creating religious and symbolic art. Del-Prete never tried to sell his work but looked at it as a hobby, and started a career in the insurance industry to support his family. During this period, Del-Prete experimented with drawing, painting and sculpture.
Del-Prete’s interest in Illusionism sprang from his observation of a chameleon
Chameleon
Chameleons are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of lizards. They are distinguished by their parrot-like zygodactylous feet, their separately mobile and stereoscopic eyes, their very long, highly modified, and rapidly extrudable tongues, their swaying gait, the possession by many of a...
. He wondered ‘what the animal really saw, what picture it had of its own world’. He began to look upon different perspectives and in the early 1960s began creating illustrations that would lead to his later ‘illusiry’ images. Del-Prete began to experiment, drawing scenes and objects that could be looked at from two different viewpoints. From that experiment arose a new type of illusionism, whereby ‘normal terms like front, back, top, bottom, right, and left could no longer be used’. His earliest drawing from this period, which draws upon double-perspective, is ‘Window Gazing’ completed in 1961.
Del-Prete experimented with other illusions where objects broke free of their picture frames and into the surrounding environment, and ‘ambiguous images’, where the meaning altered between two different perceptions.
In 1981 Del-Prete published privately his first collection of black and white pencil drawings. It was successful enough for him to publish a second collection in 1987.
His passion and hard work started to pay off and in 1984 he had a groundbreaking exhibition of his illusionary art at the Phenomena Show in Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
. He started to devote all his time to the creation of illusionary images and in the same year he opened up a gallery in Bern, which was highly successful. A few years later, he created his own illusion themed fun house and art gallery
Art gallery
An art gallery or art museum is a building or space for the exhibition of art, usually visual art.Museums can be public or private, but what distinguishes a museum is the ownership of a collection...
, Illusoria-Land, located in Ittigen, Switzerland.
Legacy
Although a number of art criticsArt criticism
Art criticism is the discussion or evaluation of visual art.Art critics usually criticize art in the context of aesthetics or the theory of beauty...
have found fault with Del-Prete’s technical craftsmanship, his ‘impossible’ images are highly original. Unfortunately, several artists borrowed heavily from Del-Prete’s illusionary drawings and concepts without acknowledging their source.