Park West Gallery: More About Pino Daeni
“Birds of Paradise”
Some Words From the Master Artist
The best part of creating a new painting…
“When I get an idea or a solution, that’s the best part of the day. Number one, it means you’re still alive. Number two, that you will improve the quality of the painting.” (“Pino: Timeless Visions,” 2006)
“Gypsy Dancer”
The relationship between the artist and the models for his book covers…
As a fine artist, Pino is remembered for his sensual portrayals of women and warm depictions of family life. The artist’s innovative technique precedes him, blending a mixture of impressionism with realism to create an intoxicating style of his own.
One of Pino’s famous book covers displayed next to the artist’s original painting for the cover.
How he defines himself as an artist…
“I am attracted by the abstract, but my sensibilities are fundamentally classical. If you put those together, you get Pino’s style. I am a psychological expressionist. I combine elements of academic, impressionistic, and abstract painting to depict the human condition.” (2010)
His evolving art style…
“I used to paint in the academic way. Then I changed. I could no longer stay with just one school. Everything was interesting to me. I was curious about various schools of thought.” (2006)
The difference between painting book covers and painting fine art…
“When I paint for a book cover for a company, there are so many limitations… When I paint in fine art for myself, of course, it’s totally free. No restrictions. In this, I can fly.” 
“Esther” (2012)
The message of his art…
“The common denominator for my work is a focus on interior situations, moments when the spirit remains quiet and still to the noise and activity of nature and everyday life.” (2006)
On the nature of beauty…
“At the Academy of Brera, everything was drawing. I was obsessed with anatomy, sometimes fat people, sometimes skinny people. But the beauty comes from your imagination, the beauty is subjective.” (2010)
“Spring Flower”
Why he often leaves a blank white spot on his canvases…
“I use it to emphasize the center of the painting, from the unfinished to the finished. Undefined areas emphasize the focus. That’s what abstract artists in the ’50s and ’60s did. I don’t want to be so literal, to finish everything. It’s graphic design; it’s complementary.” (2006)
“Secret Sharer”
Whether his wife ever grew envious of his romantic subject matter…
“She doesn’t get jealous. I’m very square. I don’t give her the opportunity to be jealous.” (1996)
The quotes from the above article were taken from: “Of Brushstrokes and Bodices” from the February 19, 1996 issue of People Magazine; the book “Pino: Timeless Visions,” Classic Publications, 2006; the book “Pino: Master Illustrator,” Classic Publications, 2010; and the 2012 video “Pino: A Contemporary Master.”
An Inside Look at Pino’s Innovative Book Cover Illustrations
Before Pino dazzled collectors with his Impressionist-inspired artwork, he made his mark on the publishing industry as a prolific illustrator. Pino’s illustrations introduced inventive ideas, and iconic imagery continues to influence cover artwork today.
Oil painting, designed for the cover of the novel “Margaret Normanby” (Signet, 1979)
Pino’s son Max Dangelico Talks About His Father
During his career, Pino illustrated more than 3,000 novels. Pino’s son Max Dangelico tells Park West Gallery his mother would read the stories and recount the plot to Pino to keep up with the artist’s high demand.
“It’s just amazing. When you’re so close to it you don’t realize the gift that people have around you,” Dangelico says. “Now that he’s no longer with us I appreciate it even more”
Untitled oil painting design for a novel by Dorchester (1987)
Collecting Illustration History
Not True Works of Art?
The debate of whether or not illustration is considered a fine art form is a long-standing argument. Because publishers dictate the criteria for illustrations to the artist, many do not consider them to be true works of art.
As an artist who incurred success in the fine art world, Pino’s illustrations break the mold.
The Norman Rockwell of Romance
Park West Gallery Director David Gorman compares Pino’s journey from Illustrator to the career of a fine artist to Norman Rockwell.
“Rockwell bridged the gap between illustration and fine art, and Pino did the same,” Gorman says.
The connection is clear between Pino’s vivid illustrations and classic paintings. With overlapping subject matter like women and romance, Pino’s detailed illustrations exude the same sensuous air of mystery as his later independent work.
Oil painting, designed for the cover of the novel “Flame Run Wild” (Avon, 1987)
The Book Cover As a Work of Art
“You clearly see where Pino came from as far as his painting,” Gorman says. “When you look at his newer works, you can see how he really excelled in creating faces and hands—really tough subjects to paint.”
Unlike a painting or drawing, Pino’s illustrations were never meant to stand alone. Because of this, the artwork only exists in its original form.
“It was never intended to be sold. It was created as a means to an end, and the end was the book cover,” Gorman explains.
Today, the vast majority of book cover artwork is created on the computer instead of by hand, making Pino’s colorful illustrations a true piece of history.
Oil painting, designed for the cover of the novel “Love Needs No Reason” (Avon, 1985)
“When you look at these new methods of creating cover artwork, a lot of the time people will look at the earlier works and methods as sought after and collectible,” Gorman says.
Mom Calm Art
There’s something indescribable about moms. They exude a calm comfort, this sense of maternal caring and nurturing. Even those of us with moms who are more inclined to chase us around the kitchen with a wooden spoon than bake us cookies find ourselves unexpectedly soothed by just being near our mothers.
It’s one of the many reasons we devote a whole day to celebrating moms.
That ethereal sense of “mom calm” is a major component in the artwork of Pino, truly one of the greatest illustrators of the 20th century.
Pino was born in Bari, Italy during World War II. Most of the men in his city were off fighting or had been killed in the war. He fondly recalls growing up surrounded by the women of Bari—his mother, aunts, grandmothers, and cousins—strong women who radiated domestic tranquility in such uncertain times.
“I remember them as being wonderful and beautiful,” Pino said.
When viewing Pino’s body of work, it’s impossible not to notice his recurring motif of mothers caring for their children. His paintings do a remarkable job of bringing that indefinable sense of comfort we associate with our moms to life.
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