Michael D'Antuono's Art And Response

Sun Times Network

Sun Times photo
From having artwork banned from eBay to family members receiving threatening letters, what Michael D’Antuono paints is not for the faint of heart. The New Yorker took time to speak with Sun-Times Network about what made him so passionate about political, social and environmental issues, and his upcoming documentary “Black In(justice).”

Shamontiel Vaughn: What was your very first piece of art? Inspiration for it?

Michael D’Antuono: I’ve been making art since I was big enough to hold a pencil. The first piece I remember that obtained the high honor of making it to the refrigerator door was an unmistakable likeness of my grandfather, complete with cap and cane. I was about three or four years old at the time of that accomplishment. The piece had absolutely no social significance.

(In reference to) political paintings, “The Truth” — my portrait of President Obama standing in front of the presidential seal wearing a thorn of crowns was my first political piece. The inspiration for that was the polar opposite accounts on the president rendered by different news organizations and the divisional effect on the masses.

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