Dominique Amendola (Amendolaart)

The expression "Classical Realism" originated with Minneapolis artist Richard Lack. The classical painting school is, first and foremost a discipline. I was classically trained and have dedicated most of my time to studying and emulating Classical Realism. As an artist and teacher, Lack emphasized the fact that "a high level of competence in depicting nature must be attained before a painting can qualify as professional and that true excellence of representation is within the grasp of very few painters. These painters must have a natural talent for draftsmanship (usually in evidence by the time budding painters are in their early teens), an uncommon visual memory, a fine eye for subtle shifts of light and dark and a sensitivity to color. All of these affinities are necessary for one to become a first-rate painter and are latent in what we call talent.

The second half of the 19th century has been called the positivist age. It was an age of faith in all knowledge which would derive from science and scientific objective methods which could solve all human problems.

At that time, Realism sets as a goal not imitating past artistic achievements but the truthful and accurate depiction of the models that nature and contemporary life offer to the artist. The artificiality of both the Classicism and Romanticism in the academic art was unanimously rejected, and necessity to introduce contemporary to art found strong support. New idea was that ordinary people and everyday activities are worthy subjects for art. Artists - Realists attempted to portray the lives, appearances, problems, customs, and mores of the middle and lower classes, of the unexceptional, the ordinary, the humble, and the unadorned. They set themselves conscientiously to reproduce all to that point ignored aspects of contemporary life and society - its mental attitudes, physical settings, and material conditions.
Realism in France appears after the 1848 Revolution. In France it expresses a taste for democracy. At the same time in England artists - Realists came before the public with the reaction against the Victorian materialism and the conventions of the Royal Academy in London.

There is a contemporary renaissance movement of classical realism in the US. This movement is especially found of William Bouguereau, a 19 century French painter.

OVER 90 YEARS, there has been a concerted and relentless effort to disparage, denigrate and obliterate the reputations, names, and brilliance of the academic artistic masters of the late 19th Century. Five centuries of critical data was nearly thrown into the trash. It is incredible how close Modernist theory, backed by an enormous network of powerful and influential art dealers, came to acquiring complete control over thousands of museums, university art departments and journalistic art criticism.
Against all odds, and in the face of the worst kind of ridicule and personal and editorial assault, only a small handful of well-trained artists managed to stay true to their beliefs. Then, like the heroes who protected a few rare manuscripts during inquisitional book-burnings of the past, these 20th Century art world heroes managed to protect and preserve the core technical knowledge of western art.
We have painstakingly unraveled an understanding of how and why great traditional art nearly perished. For the sake of our children, our culture, and posterity, the Art Renewal Center is dedicated to traditional humanist art, which is essential to the health and welfare of mankind, and to a critical and truthful analysis of the modernist onslaught by which it was nearly consumed.

Classical Realism, therefore, is an artistic point-of-view characterized by a love and respect for the great traditions of Western art. It is grounded in the subtle representation of nature, a representation that is only possible by a person with a trained and sensitive eye.

The painting "Scissors and toes", an oil on linen canvas by Dominique Amendola is to join the permanent collection of the "Musée Bernard d'Agesci" in Niort, France.

Ms. D.Amendola's work has been featured in ARTnews, Manhattan Arts, Living Artists, Aging Successfully, Living Artists, The National Bulletin and Focus. She has been features in Mandala Media and published by Bhaktivedanta Book Trust many times over the years.

Dominique Amendola is a French-born painter currently living and working in Northern California. She focuses primarily on landscapes and figures, using gorgeously vibrant colors to create scenes of amazing clarity and intensity.

It’s that brilliant color that first attracted me to Dominique’s work, along with a sort of Impressionist flair that permeates her paintings as well.

Take this piece, for example, entitled Monterey Port with Boats and Seals: painting/monterey-port-seals,

Almost every color is saturated. . . the shadows are rich greens; the water is a pure blue mixed with nearly pure white. I say nearly, because the white in this painting has touches of yellow in it, giving us just a hint of the warm afternoon sunlight and crystal-clear skies above.

And speaking of “Impressionist flair,” you’ll notice that those seals are simply dashes of greenish-gray amidst brushstrokes of blue and white, yet it’s still more than enough to get the point across.

In The Bathers, Dominique packs even more color into one space by completely filling in the background with tall grasses and other foliage. See it at: painting/bathers)
Where the shrubbery threatened to overwhelm her subject matter, however (like the area behind the boy in orange) Dominique lightened the background grass to a paler green while emphasizing the intensity of his reflection to pull that figure forward.

And as lovely has her paintings are, Dominique’s scenes rarely feel posed or structured. French Market, below is a perfect example. ( See it at:painting/farmers-market-france )
The scene may be ordinary but Dominique’s handling of the paint and the beautiful colors make it so much more.

1987 - 1st People's Choice
From: "Le Cercle des Artistes Peintres du Quebec". National award for the oil "Here comes the sun".

Third Place, San Luis Obispo Plein Air Festival.

Finalist in Landscape and Portrait category, The Artist's Magazine 1999 Annual Competition

The shirley Hannan national portrait awards-People's Choice

2006 Fredrix Canvas Award of Excellence, OPA (Oil Painters of America) 15th National Juried Exhibition, Dana Gallery, Missoula, Montana

Hobart Art League IN 3 First Place

June 12th to June 30th, workshop in oils in Varanassi north India.

Située rue des Tournelles, à deux pas de la Place des Vosges, « Art Émoi », est une galerie d’art qui fait le pari difficile de placer l’art avant la démarche mercantile.
Exposition des oeuvres a l'huile de Dominique Amendola.

Dominique Amendola is exhibiting figurative oil on canvas from May 1st to May 31st 2009.

I have a website :
To buy my art securely go to: dnamendola
I am represented by The Time and Space gallery and the Sreisand art gallery, as well as the saint germain art gallery.

DOMINIQUE AMENDOLA
956 Kenmore lane, Santa Rosa CA 95407
(707) 527-6307

ONE PERSON SHOW
July 2008 West America Bank, Santa rosa, ca
March 2008 West Bank of America Santa rosa. Ca
Feb.2008 Mairie d’Echiré- France
2007 Raoul Goff private estate, San Raphael CA
2005 Evolution Yoga studio, Santa Rosa
CA
2003 Master’s Gallery, Bangalore, India
2001 Witt Gallery, Pawlet, VT
1978-1985 Los Angeles Watseka
church, CA
1974 Chateau D’Oublaisse Tours,
France
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2008 July Rail road Square show
2008 Montgomery village
2007 Spirit Art exhibit, Santa Rosa, Ca
2007 Aurora colors gallery Petaluma,
Ca
2007 Sonoma county fair
2006 Sebastopol Art Center, Sebastopol
Ca
2005 Sebastopol Art Center,
Sebastopol CA
2004 Southern Vermont Art Center,
Manchester, VT
2003 Southern Vermont Art Center,
Manchester, VT
2002 Southern Vermont Art Center,
Manchester, VT
2002 ( winter) Equinox Hotel,
Manchester VT
2001-2003 North Star Gallery, Vermont
1999-2001 Witt Gallery, Vermont
1997 Vedanta institute in Vrindavan
India.
1993 Fine Lines Gallery, Winston-
Salem, NC
1991 Corbee Gallery, New Jersey
1978 Indian Embassy, NY, NY
1967 Lycee Van Gogh Ermenonville,
France
COLLECTIONS
Hastings Private Museum, California
Veda Guya Art Collection, California
Delhi Temple Art Center, India
Los Angeles Iskcon Temple, California
Private Collections in Florida, North
Carolina, California, Vermont, New
Jersey, Florence, Rome, Tours, India.
PUBLISHED
Mandala media –2006
Publications under Mandala Media,
2001-2003
Krishna Art, 1990
Numerous Publications under
Bhaktivedanta Booktrust, 1975-1985
COMMISSIONS
2007- cover illustration for “The
shishastakam”by BV tripurari
2006- 2007 Numerous portraits and landscape paintings
2005- Gaudiya Bengali style paintings
for Govinda’s Restaurant
1992 - 5’x11’ large oil on canvas
landscape, Econolodge, Durham NC.
1989-2006 Numerous portrait
commissions
1975-1985 Numerous commissions for
the BBT book publications
EDUCATION
Atelier Beaudry, Passage d’Enfer,
Paris, Drawing, Anatomy, Design,
Painting, Perspective
Ecole Decorarifs Des Beaux arts de
Paris,
Drawing, Painting, Architectural
Design
Private studies in Rome and Florence
Studies of the old masters.
Madras Art Center, India Vedic Art
WEBSITE AND BLOG: