Flowing, looping, curving and twisting, artist Richard Monteleone’s three dimensional metal artwork seems to effortlessly hover overhead, creating energy, light and feelings of healing and wonder. Learn more about this visionary artist by visiting his website.
Artist Richard Monteleone. Photo credit: Dominick Spolitino
I am a college professor and working visual artist. I hold my Bachelors of Fine Arts from the University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA, and a four year Certificate of Fine Arts from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia, PA. In addition, I am the artistic director of the Community Center for the Arts, Inc.
“Illumination” 600 ft of Aluminum suspended with Monofilament in a 2,000 sq ft ceiling space
I believe there is a place in every human where silence is the most active and powerful force, where consciousness is pure, light, radiant, divine and transcendent. This is the birthplace for EXPANSION—my current body of floating aluminum sculptures.
“Illumination” Balcony view
This body of work is about expansion, light, space and energy. The best metaphor is the physical change from ice to steam (ice is contracted water molecules and steam is expansive water molecules). I desire my viewers to feel this expansion in them, in the space and in the work.
“Illumination” Balcony view
The space and the architecture are vital to my work. I spend countless hours observing the changes in light and shadow. I then go to my studio and work with the metal, manipulating it and bending it. The actual work, however, isn’t created in the studio; it is created on site, and that’s where the magic happens.
“Waves of Healing” 400 ft of Aluminum suspended with Monofilament in a 1,500 sq ft ceiling space
The medium is light. Hundreds of feet of lightweight aluminum panels are twisted, curved and woven like massive but flowing gentle ocean waves; they capture all available light subtly but powerfully, reflecting and refracting it on the panels, the ceiling and everything around it.
“Waves of Healing” Balcony view
The non-precious metal is strung invisibly from the space making the sculpture quietly float ethereally, like a cloud. Effortlessly defying gravity, the panels subtly move, doing their own dance with any quiet breeze that participates. They effortlessly exist with a vibrating energetic force.
“Light” 300 ft of Aluminum suspended with Monofilament in a 1,200 sq ft ceiling space
There are several influences for this body of work. First is the architecture—if the artwork cannot engender a meaningful dialogue with the space and coalesce with it, it will not work.
“Light” Ground level view
Second is the nature of the material and its reaction to light as well as its ability to be manipulated easily. And third, the influence of artists Christopher Wilmarth and John Safer.
“I make things that physically exist only to locate that which doesn’t…I am in the transportation business.” Christopher Wilmarth
“Reverence” 200 ft of Aluminum suspended with Monofilament in a 500 sq ft ceiling space
It is my hope, that as my viewers gaze upon this body of work, they will feel calmness, peace, hope, faith, light and the Illumination that I felt in each artwork’s individual creation.
“Reverence” Ground level view
I feel much gratitude for the awakening through light.
Artist Richard Monteleone invites you to follow him on Facebook and Twitter.
I love the fact that the work, as pictured, appears to float effortlessly in space.
Thank you so much. I chose the monofilament and the light weight material for that very reason- for its abilty to float efforlessly and etherially. Thanks for checking my work:)