Domenico Cantatore

Domenico Cantatore was born in 1906 in Ruvo di Puglia from an humble family. In spite of economics trouble he moved to Rome in 1922 and to Milan in 1925; here he started painting with the artists of the group Corrente. He met Carlo Carrà  who influenced very much his style. In 1930 Cantatore exhibited his artworks for the first time at the Modern Art Gallery of Milan. In 1932 he went to Paris and here he knew Picasso, Cézanne, Matisse and Modigliani. Their experiences had a great influence on Cantatore style which was characterized by monumental figures and strong chromatic contrasts. In 1940 he took the place of Aldo Carpi at the Academy of Brera teaching Figure and in 1948 he met Morandi in Milan. In 1956 he moved to Spain and from this moment to ‘80s his paintings were influenced by Mediterranean lights: during these years he painted overall landscapes and huaman figures. He came back to Milan where he went on teaching and exhibiting his works at great art festivals like The Venice Art Festival and The Rome Art Festival. He died in Paris in 1998.