Biography
Born in Venice in 1961, Roberto Cannata still lives and works there. He attended the Art Institute and then graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts of Venice, thereafter he enhanced his knowledge about drawing and painting techniques thanks to “Cianuro 121”, an Art Lab in Marghera (Venice). From 1991 to 1993 he took sculpture and drawing classes held by the sculptor Francesco Grazioli and by the painter Paolo Monterisi. In 1996 Roberto Cannata attended the engraving course (advanced and experimental techniques) held by Riccardo Licata at International Graphics School of Venice. He participated in many art contests, collective and solo exhibitions as well, displaying sculptures and paintings. The artistic expression he prefers is the figurative art, but he dedicates himself to the third dimension (sculpture) and graphics as well. The subjects of his artworks do not have a clear definition: they express thoughts, ideas, consideration on human behaviour referring to Surrealism, Cubism, Metaphysics from a mythological and philosophical point of view. His pictorial research is based on anxiety and sense of the alienation of contemporary society.
Roberto Cannata rely on the colour and the accuracy of figures to raise the emotional impact of the artwork, and gives to the observer the choice of catching the hidden aspects, the drama, the uncertainty of this civilisation.
These themes are portrayed with sensitivity and energy, using the painting as a tool of communication. In Roberto Cannata’s artworks chiaroscuro and grisaille technique are both recognisable; furthermore, he uses the space on the canvas in a free but meticulous way, emphasising the subjects in a threshold between figurative and abstract art. His continuous artistic research, focused on the use of figure and colour, leads the artist to fluctuate into a conceptual dimension that make visible the images and symbols of his thinking.
