ABSTRACT PSYCHOSOCIAL ART

By DICK CRISPO

“''The light must come from within the canvas rather than the surface itself. Each piece is essentially spiritual whether social commentary, metaphysical, abstract or representational.'' – Dick Crispo

About

Dick CrispoAt the ripe age of eleven, Dick Crispo had his first artwork displayed in a Carmel art gallery. From that moment on, Dick knew that he was destined for a life in the arts. Since then, Crispo has presented 76 one-man shows and won 36 awards for his artistry, including a gold medal from the Italian Academy of Works of Art. His work is part of more than 100 distinguished private and public collections, such as the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institution, the Monterey Museum of Art, the Museum of Western Art in Tokyo, and Museo de Belle Arti Lugano in Switzerland.

Born in New York in· 1945, Crispo moved to Carmel with his family at the age of ten. The young artist quickly became immersed in the local artists’ colony. Crispo befriended the likes of American writer Henry Miller, and musicians Bob Dylan and Joan Baez. Crispo’s art education includes the Carmel Art Institute, Monterey Peninsula College, Arizona School of Art, and Trinity College in Pennsylvania. Dick Crispo has been a member of the Carmel Art Association since 1969.

Some may say Dick Crispo is a Renaissance man, for he has held a multitude of careers focused around the arts. These careers vary widely and include: Art Historian, Lecturer, Professor, American Cultural Specialist to Latin America for the U.S. State Department and Director for the Arts in Corrections Program. Additionally, Crispo co-founded the Monterey Museum of Art’s “Museum on Wheels,” and he has completed over 70 murals across the United States.

When creating, Crispo enjoys painting artworks in a series. This method enables him to focus on a specific concept or theme over an extended period of time, and to represent the subject from different perspectives. Crispo states, “It is one of my goals to make the universal personal and the personal universal.” In order to achieve this goal, the artist provides commentary on a specific place, idea, or culture with the intention of developing an interaction between the viewer and the visual effect of his artwork. Dick Crispo uses subtle layering techniques to achieve the intriguing texture and bold color palette that are signature of his artwork. The artist will often layer different mediums-acrylic, oil, oil pastel, watercolor and gouache-all in one composition in order to create the rough pattern he desires.

ART SCHOOLS & TEACHERS
Carmel Art Institute
Arizona School of Art
Monterey Peninsula College
Hartnell College
Victor DiGesu
Sam Colburn
Jay Hannah
Alexander Napote
Kay Rodgers
John Cunningham
University of California Santa Cruz
And Others

REPRESENTED IN 34 PERMANENT PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Bruce Museum, Greenwich, Connecticut
Bibliotheque National, Paris, France
Musuem of Western Art, Tokyo, Japan
Instituto Nationcal de Bellas Artes, Mexico City, D.F.
Museum of Modern Art, Mexico City
University of Guadalajara, Mexico
The National ibrary of Ireland, Dublin, Ireland
The Print Club of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pratt Graphic Art Center, New York City, N.Y.
State of California at Sacramento
Escuela de Printura y Escultura, Mexico City
Oakland Museum of Art, Oakland, California
Monterey Peninsula Museum of Art, Monterey, California
Harrison Memorial Library, Carmel, California
Museo de Bella Arti Lugano, Switzerland
Academia de Belle Arti Licco Artistico, Naples, Italy
U.N. Library, New York City
U.N.E.S.C.O., New York City
American Print Council, New York City and others
University of Asmara, Asmara, Ethiopia
Bridgestone Museum, Tokyo, Japan
Municipal Museum of Plastic Arts, BuenosAires, Argentina
Granada School of Fine Arts, Granada, Nicaragua
Palacio De Cultura ‘Joaquin Pasos’ Granada, Nicaragua
Museo de Arte Costarricense, San Jose, Costa Rica
Galeria Nacional de Art Contermporaseo, San Jose, Coasta Rica
Escuela de Bellas Artes, Guatemala City, Guatemala

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Winner of 31 awards, a gold medal from the Italina Academy of Works of Art.
  • Has had 73 one-man shows and is in over 300 private collections.
  • Served as American Cultural Specialist to Latin America for U.S.I.S. and visiting lecturer at numerous colleges, universities and art associations
  • Has completed 70 murals across the U.S.A. on the walls of public and privately owned buildings, homes, and schools, including a half-mile long mural titled “America the Outside” inside Soledad Prison. Dick has provided graphics for countless nonprofit social and political organizations.
  • Listed in ”Who’s Who in the West” 1976-1989. ”Who’s Who In American Art” 1974-1989. “Community Leaders and Noteworthy Americans.” He has also appeared in over 140 magazines, periodicals, and newspapers. Named one of the top 100 authorities in his field by U.S. News and World Report.
  • Work been documented on film in “Dick Crispo Maker of Images” Frasconi-Setzer Films, “Master Muralist” by Bryan Streetman. His work also appears on the “Sunday Morning Program” on CBS.