Author(s): Andrea Ventura

Art

The first book to showcase the personal art of Andrea Ventura, one of the world's most sought-after commercial artists. The painter Andrea Ventura has become world-famous primarily through his illustrations. His contract work, which is done in an expressionistic and painterly style, is unmistakably original. An impressive client list including publications such as the New York Times, the New Yorker, Newsweek, Time, Businessweek, AD, Playboy, and Rolling Stone attests to his talent. Carnevale is the first monograph of Ventura's personal artwork, the quality of which supersedes even that of his contract work and makes clear that this is the source and driving force behind his remarkable creativity. Reflecting Ventura's fascination with daily life, the book is autobiographical. The included art documents and comments on various stages of his life. Ventura's perspective is existential, and his style expressionistic. Whether he has painted a sparse interior, a monument, an exterior view, a cemetery, mass transit, a sober still life, or an empty bathroom, he brings the scene to life with a muted light. He captures his subjects in a melancholy aura that makes the minute significant. Although Ventura paints with a cool distance, his artwork reveals his vulnerability. Carnevale presents paintings of famous philosophers and poets --his heroes --on their deathbeds, the post-war life of the artist's family, and portraits of his twin brother, the famous photographer Paolo Ventura. Between Milan, Rome, New York, Innsbruck, Paris, Venice, and Berlin, the book showcases autobiographical chapters that have defined Ventura's life.