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A R T I S T ' S B I O G R A P H Y |
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Len
Tantillo was born and raised in upstate New York, and attended Rhode
Island School of Design. From
1969 to 1976 he worked as an architectural designer and acquired a
working knowledge of building design and construction.
During his apprenticeship the focus of his work shifted to visual
presentation and in 1976 he began working as a free-lance architectural
illustrator. In 1980,
Tantillo was commissioned to depict a series of 19th century structures
from archeological artifacts and historic documents.
Similar projects followed, many of which were located along the
banks of the Hudson River near Albany, New York.
In 1984 Tantillo left commercial art and began the full-time
pursuit of fine art. He has
spent the last 25 years creating numerous historical and marine
paintings, which have continued to draw a wide audience. Tantillo’s
studio is located in southern Rensselaer County, New York. Tantillo’s work clearly shows the combined influence of the luminists of the 19th century and the great marine artists of the past. The blending of his visual story-telling ability and a wonderful sense of adventure and excitement is evident in all of his paintings from The Return of the Experiment, which depicts Captain Stewart Dean’s triumphant return voyage from China aboard his 56 foot sloop, Experiment, to Curiosity of the Magua a depiction of Arent Van Curler’s encounter with Mohawk warriors on the Hudson River in 1648. Detailed observations are translated directly onto canvas and the images are brought to life with his ability to create a magical sense of time and place. Len
Tantillo is a Fellow of the American Society of Marine Artists.
Tantillo’s work has appeared in national exhibitions, books,
periodicals, and television documentaries in the United States, England,
the Netherlands, Belgium, Australia and New Zealand. In November of
2000, Tantillo was awarded the prestigious Rudolph J. Schaefer
Award at the 21st
Annual Mystic International Exhibition at Mystic Seaport. In May
of 2002, Russell Sage College awarded Tantillo an honorary doctorate for
contributions made by his artwork to public awareness of the maritime
history of the Hudson River. In March of 2004, Tantillo was the subject
of a documentary produced for Public Television entitled, “Hudson
River Journeys.” The program has aired nationally on over 300
stations. In the summer of 2005 Tantillo was commissioned to create a
painting for the American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This
latest work will become part of a permanent exhibition of Dutch
Architecture in colonial America.
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L. F. Tantillo, Fine Art copperkeel@aol.com
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