Cuadro

Italo Scanga was a painter, sculptor and printmaker. After a childhood spent in Italy, Scanga matured as an artist in his adopted home, the United States. He was a prolific artist who worked in many mediums, combining found objects and altered objects with sculpted or painted elements. He worked on the assembly line at General Motors and served in the U.S. Army before attending Michigan State University. There he received a Bachelor’s degree in 1960 and a Master’s degree the following year. He taught at Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Philadelphia; University of California, San Diego and University of Rhode Island, Kingston and was a visiting artist at Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood, Washington; Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Maine and University of Virginia, Charlottesville. Scanga was a sculptor and painter whose work was influenced by folk and primitive art as well as twentieth century modernist ideas, such as cubism. His Italian heritage imbues his work, especially in his subject matter. We see statues, ancient pottery, cypress trees, and lush Italian landscapes. He combined materials in surprising ways; often juxtaposing hand carved wood or painted passages with appropriated imagery and photographs. Scanga received important commissions from, among others, the Parco Museo Laboratorio of the Santa Barbara Art Foundation in Mammola, Italy (Figure Holding Fire) the City of San Jose, California (Figure Holding the Sun) the San Diego Opera, and San Diego International Airport (Continents).