Mario Zampedroni was recognized early as a promising artist. When he was only 13 years old, he was admitted into Castello Sforzesco High School, a center for fine arts in Milan. In his earliest years he developed both his drawing and painting skills, but it was his work with the brush that truly set him apart.
Throughout his high school career he entered several painting contests and won multiple awards, but he didn’t immediately pursue a life devoted to fine art. In the 1970s, Mario studied architecture at a polytechnic university in Milan, and worked for a time as a designer.
But even at this point, Mario Zampedroni continued to paint every chance he had. His work received increasing levels of recognition, to the point that he finally set aside his career as a furniture designer so that he could paint full time.
The benefited of having painted for so much of his life is that Mario has developed a unique personal style that is more about self-expression than adhering to an institutional form. His work is vibrant and free, clearly a genuine expression of his inmost experience.
Most of Mario Zampedroni’s paintings depict scenes from nature, and they do so with an explosive wash of colors that transcends the real. He takes flowers, rivers and forests as his subjects, but he defies their everyday aspects in favor of an unpredictable edge. Some compare his unexpected turns to those seen in Wagner concert; others prefer to enjoy his art without the baggage of comparison.
For first-time viewers, the vibrant colors featured in Mario Zampedroni paintings are their most noteworthy characteristics, but he also plays tricks with shape and matter. In some scenes, matter seems to give way to pure energy, as if a field of flowers were dissolving into a dazzling array of light.
In this way, the paintings of Mario Zampedroni are like a form of ‘abstract impressionism’. His subjects hint at real-life objects, but they have clearly been cut free from the real world. One might even say they were never rooted in the real to begin with.
In Mario Zampedroni’s own words, his inspiration does not come from anything real. Rather, he draws the subject matter of his paintings from an abstract dimension, a place where color and light are baseline elements of nature.
He has even gone so far as to say that the seemingly real elements of his work are merely an attempt to communicate with the viewer. It is as if the colors and composition themselves were the real subject of his work, but in order to draw the viewer in, he must let these elements congeal into the semblance of a natural scene or a floral arrangement.
Regardless of his inspiration or how he executes his craft, there is no question that Mario Zampedroni is on the front lines of creative expression today. Through his work, he is summoning a new generation of art appreciators who peruse cyber galleries rather than real ones.

The word ‘abstract’ comes from the Latin word ‘to draw out’ or ‘to take’. Traditionally, this has been the essence of abstract art, taking real elements and stretching them onto a canvas of surreal proportions. But Mario Zampedroni has a different way of looking at his art, and it has enlivened an art scene riddled with commercialism and other less-than-inspirational influences.

A brief history of abstract art

Strictly speaking, abstract art is a newcomer to the Western scene. Up until the 19th century, Western artists strove to create convincing ‘illusions’ of the real world. These works may have played with light and color, but they were firmly rooted in the realm of the real.
But in the 19th century, a new movement emerged. Impressionism still sought to depict ‘real’ images, but it took liberties with focus and perspective, blurring lines and introducing some of the first trends toward abstraction in the west. Expressionist painting followed shortly after, and it focused more on the colors on the canvas than physical forms.
In the 20th century, abstract art hit new registers. Picasso’s work with Cubism expanded Cezanne’s Impressionistic idea that all matter can be reduced to cubes, spheres and cones. This was the century that abstract came into its own, and this was also when Mario Zampedroni began his journey.

Mario Zampedroni’s early years

Zampedroni was born in 1945, and he loved drawing and painting from an early age. He attended Castello Sforzesco High School in the 50s and 60s, where he followed a course in painting and drawing. During his formidable years in high school, he won no less than six prestigious awards.
He went on to attend a polytechnic university in Milan, where he studied design and architecture. Mario Zampedroni still painted during this time, but he juggled this with a semi-traditional career in design and interior decoration. Luckily for the world at large, he used this time to fine-tune his craft.

The ‘taking’ process

As mentioned earlier, most artists identifying with the concept of ‘taking’ in abstract art. They see themselves pulling something real from the world, drawing it out of its true dimensions and fitting it to a new, boundless space. This process frees the artist to express his or her deepest convictions in the form of color, light and shape. It often produces a haunting experience, both for artist and viewer, as the elements emerging from the canvas are emotive and raw.
But for Mario Zampedroni, the taking process moves in the opposite direction. He pulls images from an abstract realm – an alternate dimension, of sorts. Rather than grafting a real image onto a surreal landscape, Zampedroni draws his images from the abstract realm and gives them ‘real’ shapes like flowers and forests in order to attach them to the canvas.
This may be a frivolous, semantic distinction for some; but for others, it’s a remarkable diversion from traditional abstract art. In any event, it is freeing Mario Zampedroni†to explore light, color and form in new ways, to the benefit of the world at large.

It’s always fascinating to hear an artist talk about his or her creative process, or about the inspiration behind their work. Of course, artists aren’t necessarily known for their words, and for many it may be difficult to adequately express themselves off the canvas. This is why some artists are reluctant to give interviews and prefer to let their paintings speak for themselves.
Mario Zampedroni has had a great deal of success in recent years, and he has been more than happy to go on record talking about his motivation and craft. He’s not afraid to talk about the ‘business’ of being an artist and claims that he handles the prospect as all artists do. He also has no qualms about letting his artistic success translate into an income, and that’s just what it is happening in this age of buying fine art prints online.

The art

An interviewer once asked Mario Zampedroni why he was an artist. He replied by downplaying the mere prospect, saying he could most comfortably consider himself a painter. As for the art, he leaves that distinction to connoisseurs, curators and those who buy his paintings.
But regardless of how he refers to his craft, Zampedroni has been doing it most of his life. When he was 13 years old in Milan, he entered a fine arts high school and focused on painting and drawing. Zampedroni entered several contests and won half a dozen awards. After a foray into the world of furniture design, he returned to his studio and has been a full-time painter ever since.

The inspiration

When asked about his inspiration, Mario Zampedroni points to “life in general”. He says that everything in life, from its simple pleasures to its difficult moments can inspire art. He insists that he suffers no shortage of creative energy.
When pressed for specific inspirations, he cites British artist JMW Turner, renowned for elevating landscape watercolors to new prominence in the 19th century. Turner was referred to as the ‘painter of light’, which is an element that is clearly seen in Zampedroni’s own work.

The latest work

Currently, Mario Zampedroni is working with a series of paintings in which he tries to capture the movements and motions of the artist in the painting itself. He calls it a kind of “gestuality” and says that it isn’t entirely abstract.
This would be in keeping with Zampedroni’s work to date, which features abstract elements fused with clear scenes from the real world. In many cases, he paints natural landscapes with rivers, trees and flowers. These often teeter on the brink of the ‘unreal’, effusing light and energy that adds a new dimension to his work.
As for what the future holds, Mario Zampedroni hopes to continue painting for many more years. He’s had substantial success connecting with fans online, and much of his income is generated by selling prints of his original work. This has given his work an outlet into the everyday world, so that it appears on walls in houses across the globe. If all goes as planned, he will continue to innovate and create for many more years, and his fans across the world will reap the benefits.

Breaking into the abstract realm

The overwhelming challenges facing people who are trying to cultivate a taste for the arts can be discouraging. This holds especially true for the modern art scene, which relies heavily on abstraction and non-traditional mediums.
For those looking to for a gentle introduction to modern art, there are a few artists out there whose work serves as an excellent gateway. Mario Zampedroni is one of these artists.

One of the greatest innovations of the modern art world is the opportunity to buy fine art prints at a fraction of the price an original would cost. Now, a person doesn’t have to be ridiculously wealthy in order to appreciate fine art or display it in their own home.
This innovation also frees the artist up to generate their own work according to their own schedule. Rather than wait for a wealthy buyer to commission a particular piece, the artist simply follows their own inspirations. They may or may not sell the original, but if reprints and posters are highly affordable, they may move tens of thousands of these, making more than enough money to continue their craft.
This also wrests the power from art critics and curators. The original may be in a gallery somewhere, but its likeness is on walls in homes across the world. This is the sort of work produced by Mario Zampedroni, and it attracts enormous attention in online galleries, where art appreciators order prints and post comments.

This abstract shift to cyberspace

The online gallery is a fitting space for the work of Mario Zampedroni. When he talks about his own inspiration, he says that he pulls his subjects from an alternate reality, where they exist as pure light and energy. As he draws his subjects out of that world and into this one, he uses explosive colors and transient forms to represent them. †
This is a break from the process of most abstract artists, who pull real images into an abstract realm. The fiery flowers and forests of Zampedroni’s landscapes are essentially emotive translations of something foreign or other-worldly.
Today, when Mario Zampedroni’s fans purchase his fine art prints online, they are drawing those same images out of another abstract space – cyberspace. In this way, they participate with the artist, if only symbolically.

The return to abstraction

Mario Zampedroni’s journey to a fine arts master was a bit atypical. He attended a fine arts high school in Milan and started earning awards and recognition from an early age, but he didn’t allow himself to be consumed. Instead, he pursued a practical career in architecture and design, and then worked for a time designing furniture.
He continued to paint during this time, but he had to fit this in around his work schedule. As he developed a loyal fan base, he spent more and more time in his studio. Eventually, he left the career and dove into his art entirely. Today, his prints are among some of the Web’s most popular, and he continues to generate more loyal followers by reinventing the art of abstraction.
It’s this return to abstraction that has freed Mario Zampedroni to explore his craft without the burden of commercial pressure or traditional interests. His art is finely crafted for its own sake, but hasn’t been commissioned by corporate powers. Instead, it’s the support of his fans that allows him to dedicate all of his energy to painting. And all of this happens outside the ‘real realm’ in worldwide cyber networks.

Often, the realm of the abstract leaves focus and detail to the mind and imagination of the viewer, creating a conversation between the piece and its observer that may not ever be replicated. In Swamp, Zampedroni challenges the classic conversation of the abstract painting, allowing certain elements of ambiguous style and design to enter the world of the canvas, while decidedly tying everything together towards a center that is recognizable in one of the greatest glories of nature.
A mirrored pool of water, echoing back the color and shape of objects on the surface, may well be a traditional subject for the landscape painter, but no such subject has been rendered in quite this way. Part illusion, part bare and uncomplicated beauty, this painting plays at the viewer with multiple personalities, and is sure to bring an air of mystery and depth to any setting. The unfettered yet surprisingly collected backdrop of the horizon draws the viewer in and creates an almost haunting sense of scene; a scene wherein the floral stalks, or midnight thoughts, or undefined presences arch in graceful juxtaposition. Instantly allowing a multitude of landscapes to shoot forth within the mind, while straying from actual mimicry, the painting holds the viewer in suspension between memory and impossibility, and never loses its interest.
A collection of well-trained lines oriented towards the vertical and horizontal are responsible for the basic construction of the piece, yet there are potentially endless angles and vectors to behold in the culmination of water and sky, and in the darkness of the dividing line. Perhaps that division itself embodies the intrigue of the work, holding within its blackness a power that tricks the eyes, but gently, inviting a thousand closer looks.
With the addition of occasional entrances of contrasting color and shape, Zampedroni adds an edge of surrealism to the piece, creating a sense of wonder and possibly even adding to the confusion and illusion taking turns across the canvas. While this dance may well delight the viewer in its obscurity, one thing remains clear at every point: this is a painting made as much with thought as with the brush itself.

Within the world of concept art, individual pieces are often buried within deep folds of symbolism and artistic discourse, opening as a rose for those willing to invest themselves in the drama of the process and its presentation. Such classic elements of conceptual artwork is present in Four Horses, but Zampedroni’s spirit brings to the fore a sense of whimsical fun and curiosity that’s rarely found in works of the genre.
The painting’s namesakes, four horses dominate –or detail, depending on the view– the canvas, playing several roles at once but never losing sight of their destination or their power to tickle the senses. Recalling both the entertaining toys of childhood as well as the beauty and freedom of wild beasts in a meadow, the horses are a visual delight that bring new dimensions of meaning to the forms, colors, and structures of their abstract environment.
Vivid and cruelly final horizontal lines contrast with complex shapes and free-form outlines throughout the piece, creating a tension that can either set the stage for a sense of distress within the painting or morph into a counterbalanced harmony that adds to the sense of innocence surrounding the mammalian subjects. It is from this relationship that the horses emerge, inviting the observer to complete a journey, either by going deeper into the canvas itself or by recalling the image and finding traces of its message within the lines and landscapes of the mental environment and of the world itself.
Color plays an important role in Four Horses, and first greets the viewer with a quenching pool of structured blues. lifting out of this pool, shades of the sky pop from the surface and the entrance of warm hue is allowed to begin, punctuating the canvas in a number of pure and solid-toned shapes. A palette that creates a layer of simplicity and echoes the primary wheels of youth itself, the color in Four Horses is as much an agent of attraction as it is a pillar of meaning. A powerful yet playful piece, this painting exemplifies Zampedroni’s distinct range.

Opening a wall or entire area to new realms of possibility is often what abstract paintings and those of other genres hope to achieve, but few allow for the imagination to truly take flight in each stroke and stylistic element displayed on the canvas. In Free Space, Zampedroni delivers a bright and pleasing window rendered in beautiful color and interesting form, making it perfect for new openings in any setting.
A striking collection of blues and indigos dominate the piece, suggesting the stripes and blurred geometric patterns of a butterfly’s wing in flight. Unrelenting peaks of color are laid out across the background, bringing a central harmony to the painting that pleases the eye and excites the mind with a multitude of creative possibilities. Seeming to illustrate the sudden passing of an unexpected concerto, Free Space is a captured moment in color with no limits and no shame.
Movement is a central theme in many of Zampedroni’s pieces, and it is at its conspicuous best in this painting, Sweeping brush strokes, emotional curves and twists, and swirls of paint brought to form without the kiss of brush on canvas collide within the painting, resulting in a masquerade of movements that effortlessly portrays the involvement of the painter himself. Offering a rare look into the arrangement of thought and feeling within the artist’s mind, Free Space can be seen as a kind of message carried to the viewer by the raw, impulsive movement of the artist’s hand.
A painting that is full of life and holds potentially endless appeal for the wandering eye, Free Space is a prime example of the distinct advantages that abstract and gestural painting forms can bring to a canvas. communicating far more that simple matters of subject, the painting brings the viewer into the environment of the artist, allowing for an intimate discussion about one’s visual perception of the world, and how a certain feeling or idea might play out when given over to the passion and the joy of paint. Whether Zampedroni’s space is merely free or in itself, freeing, is left unresolved.

Buying art online is quickly becoming all the rage when it comes to finding a piece to invest in and when decorating a room. It is a much calmer environment in which to make a purchase, allowing you to strongly consider each choice and to see how it might fit into your current decor. It also gives you plenty of options to look at and is typically more affordable than buying from a gallery. You can take your time and, therefore, know that you will be choosing the best piece for your space, as well as for your style.

Buying art online can be a much more enjoyable experience than trekking around to various art dealers and galleries. First, it takes much less time. You are able to view many different pieces in a very small window of time and, additionally, you can see a much larger number of pieces than you would in a typical showroom. As a webpage is not as limited in terms of its space, all options available are open to you and ready for you to enjoy.

Another benefit to buying art online is that you are able to take your time considering each and every piece. Often, we gravitate towards the same style over and over again and do not look at all there is to be offered. Sometimes, being able to sit in the room that you will be decorating while viewing the piece of artwork can allow us to get a better sense of what colors and themes work best in that particular context. This can make the art buying process much more fruitful and we might just end up with a piece of artwork that we would have never otherwise considered. Also, without having a salesperson steering you in one direction or another or making you feel obligated to make a purchase, it is much more enjoyable to sit in the comfort of your own home and be more thoughtful about the whole process.

In addition to all of the other benefits to purchasing artwork online, it is also much more affordable. Without gallery markups and workers vying for the highest commission, you will most likely be able to find your most perfect piece and at a price that will allow you to enjoy it most fully. Therefore, buying art online is a great, easy, and inexpensive way to enhance your room as well as your life.