Born in Rome, Italy, Cruciani’s artwork has evolved from his vast experiences as a photographer experimenting with techniques determined to transform black and white images into photographic paintings. Cruciani also worked as a set photographer in Rome and a freelance reporter traveling around the world and working in the photographic studio of Maurice Seymour in Chicago for a time.
Cruciani’s wanderings ended in Umbria where he traded his camera for paintbrushes. After an apprenticeship in the studio of painter G. Adami, he moved from oils to acrylics, to watercolors, and then to painting on glass. The misty-toned colors, amorphous shapes and the transparency of the medium create continuous variations of light and shadows. The sense of freedom evoked by Cruciani’s paintings appeals to his fellow restless soul-searchers.
Massimo Cruciani’s collection is on display at the Stravitz Sculpture and Fine Art Gallery.