The Michele and Donald D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts Hosts Paintings by Christina Mastrangelo

Written by Kathy Camarena Sunday, 17 April 2011 23:33

SPRINGFIELD, Mass.– Paintings that evoke the work of the “old master” artists of the Renaissance will be on view from April 19 through July 10 at the Michele and Donald D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts in the special exhibition In the Footsteps of the Masters: Painting by Christina Mastrangelo. There will be a reception with the artist on Thursday, April 28, from 5 to 7 p.m. The reception is free and open to the public. There will be a lecture by the artist on techniques and materials as passed down in the European tradition on May 5 at noon. "In the Footsteps of the Masters: Painting by Christina Mastrangelo" will present 18 paintings and drawings by the artist, many of them new works.

Christina Mastrangelo is a classically trained artist who grew up in Wilbraham, Massachusetts, and has recently moved back to the area after living and studying art for three years in Florence, Italy. She recently graduated from the Fundamental Program at the Angel Academy of Art, where she studied under the guidance of Maestro Michael John Angel and Jered Wosnicki. This past year Christina was honored with second place in the Worldwide ARC Scholarship competition for her artwork and achievements as artist and teacher, and her work hangs in private homes in both Europe and the US. She currently has a studio in Western MA where she is producing realistic paintings and drawings of portraits, the figure, and still-lifes.  She is currently taking commissions and working towards building her portfolio. She has worked one-on-one with students who have never painted before to produce beautiful still-life paintings, and is currently offering workshops and classes out of her studio. In Italy, Christina also co-directed a small art school in Florence, heading the figure drawing program and teaching the basics of drawing to both Italian and English speaking students. Previous to this endeavor, Christina received honors status for her B.A. in Studio Art from James Madison University's Honors Program in 2006. Visit the artist's website at ... http://www.christinamastrangelo.com/

The Springfield Museums, located in the heart of downtown Springfield, Massachusetts, is comprised of five world-class museums; the Michele & Donald D'Amour Museum of Fine Arts., the George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum, the Springfield Science Museum, the Connecticut Valley Historical Museum and the Museum of Springfield History. The Museums Association is proud to be home to the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden, a series of full–scale bronze sculptures of Dr. Seuss's whimsical creations, honoring the birthplace of Theodor Geisel, a.k.a. Dr. Seuss. The Michele & Donald D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts is one of the two Springfield Museums dedicated to fine and decorative arts. The Art Deco-style museum was erected in response to a bequest from Mr. & Mrs. James Philip Gray, who left their entire estate for the “selection, purchase, preservation, and exhibition of the most valuable, meritorious, artistic, and high class oil paintings obtainable,” and for the construction of a museum to house them. The museum opened in 1934. The first floor of the museum is dedicated to American art ranging from John Singleton Copley's Portrait of Nymphas Marston to Winslow Homer's Promenade on the Beach to Contemporary glass sculpture by Dale Chihuly. The American collection also includes the country's only permanent museum gallery dedicated to the lithographs of Currier & Ives. The second floor is a chronological tour of the museum's fine European art collection. Beginning in the Middle Ages with an intricate 15th-century, Hispano-Flemish Fuentes Retable (altarpiece), the galleries lead visitors through the Renaissance and subsequent centuries with fine paintings from Italy and France. The Dutch and Flemish collection is particularly strong. Familiar names in the Impressionism Gallery include Claude Monet, Degas, Pissarro and Gauguin. Traveling exhibitions can be found in the Wheeler Gallery. Performances, lectures and presentations are offered in the Davis Auditorium. Visit the museum's website at ... www.springfieldmuseums.org.

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