Artists of Note | Bruno Capolongo - Southwest Art Magazine

Canadian sublime

Bruno Capolongo, Then Came Spring, acrylic, 9 x 13.

This story was featured in the October 2019 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art October 2019 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.

Within months of beginning private lessons in painting at the age of 12, Bruno Capolongo was awarded his first institutional commission. Later, as a student at the Ontario College of Art, the artist attracted further recognition for his work in the form of awards and new collectors. These early honors, notes the three-time recipient of the prestigious Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation grant, “propelled me into a lifetime career as a full-time artist.”

: Bruno Capolongo, Thai Kintsugi in Ultramarine and Gold, acrylic, 12 x 12.

: Bruno Capolongo, Mount Nemo, oil, 24 x 84.

: Bruno Capolongo, The Silver Dome, acrylic, 10 x 10.

Today Capolongo is perhaps best known for his classic still-life paintings featuring elegant oriental pottery, but recently he has also been painting landscapes in oils and acrylics. His patient approach to creating both still lifes and landscapes is a virtue that viewers can observe and savor. “Because I don’t whip off paintings, but craft them in successive layers, the result is often paintings with rich, complex depth,” he says.

: Bruno Capolongo, Then Came Spring, acrylic, 9 x 13.

: Bruno Capolongo, Winter Palace (Requiem), oil, 36 x 36.

: Bruno Capolongo, The Lion Vase, acrylic, 10 x 10.

The artist’s reverent portrayals of his subject matter also encourage quiet reflection. “People sense the awe I have for the mystical and profound beauty around me,” explains Capolongo, whose “visual language” echoes that of artists like Albert Bierstadt and George Inness. In MOUNT NEMO, for example, which was a finalist in the Art Renewal Center Salon this year, Capolongo depicts a peaceful conservation area in Ontario, Canada, where he lives. “I have traveled to the finest gardens and landscapes in the U.S. and Europe,” he says. “That’s translating into new work that I’m excited about.” —Kim Agricola

For a list of galleries representing Capolongo, visit www.brunocapolongo.com.