
Born
to Italian parents, Aldo was raised in Argentina. While growing up he was
exposed to several of the arts including painting and playing the piano. But
his true love when young was playing soccer.
"Painting and soccer are
like walking to me. So natural." In fact, after graduating from the
Academy of Fine Art in Buenos Aires, Aldo played professional soccer for the
New York Cosmos. A few relocations, injuries, and a stint as a jewelry
designer later, the artist completed the circle by returning to painting.
A look at Aldo Luongo’s work tempts one to say, Of course, he has to paint.
It’s fundamental to the man’s essence. And so it is.
Flatteringly reviewed as a Post-Impressionist by the New York Times, Luongo
confesses that at first he was annoyed at being categorized. However, since
many of his favorite painters were Impressionists he also understood the
sincerity of the compliment.
"Every artist adapts the best qualities of
his favorite artists, but I’m always conscious of capturing bits of life, of
reality, of situations, of people. It’s my space in time."
Leaving behind the gentle utopias of Impressionism, Aldo captures his
subjects in a more direct way.
"I attack a canvas like I play soccer –
with vigor. Soccer is my counterpoint to painting. While painting, I’m
confined, lonely, enmeshed in emotions and self-doubt. Then comes the sweat
and focus of a really good game and I feel whole again. Life is a matter of
balance."
Aldo Luongo and his art evoke true emotion with every canvas. He describes
his work as possessing strength, vibrancy, and feeling. For him the real
journey is told by Aldo’s most recognizable image, Aguilucho or The Hawk, a
self portrait of the artist, himself, with the character of the ultimate old
man, my future self. What makes the Hawk so compelling? Look at the eyes –
they mirror the soul of a man who has lived a rich, full life and still sees
joy in every moment. They are the eyes that create the canvases of Aldo
Luongo.
Aldo Luongo has earned both critical praise and celebrity collectors. Edward
G. Robinson, Anthony Quinn, Kevin Costner, Dionne Warwick, Bill Cosby, Yul
Brynner, Charlton Heston, and Rob Reiner, to name a few, have been touched
by Aldo’s imagery. In addition, Aldo was named official artist for The
Olympic Committee at the 1988 Summer Games, has a commissioned work which is
displayed in The Kennedy Museum in Boston, two years in a row was selected
to participate in The White House Easter Egg Hunt, where his painted "eggs"
are now on display at the world-renowned Smithsonian Museum.