The Beauty of the BeastFeaturing 200 superb images, this book is the first retrospective of the work of Dean Russo, a Brooklyn-based artist known for his soulful animal portraits. Inspired by his love of dogs and the urban landscape in which he was born, Russo uses vibrant pop art colors and bold abstract patterns to give voice to his favorite subject. In addition to his rich use of mixed media and signature graphic style, Russo possesses an uncanny ability to look into the eyes of a cat or dog and capture their expressiveness on canvas. Organized in chronological order, Dean Russo: A Retrospective spans his entire career to date, from early days drawing cartoon characters to his iconic celebrity portraits, animal welfare activism, and his new series portraying wildlife on the verge of extinction. Including an introduction by Russo and commentary on his style developments over the years, this book provides an inspiring look at an often-misunderstood artist.Inside Dean Russo: A RetrospectiveGraphic overview of the entire career of this inspired and idiosyncratic pop artist.200 vibrant images from expressive animal portraits to iconic music legends.Mixed media artworks that include everything from pastels, oils, pencils, wax, and charcoal to sharpies, spray cans and liquid acrylics.The story of Russo's stirring dedication to animal rescue awareness.Commentary on the artist's style developments over the years.Introduction by Dean Russo.
Industry Reviews
A vibrant collection of bright, happy art sure to please any pop art lover! Seeing Russo's early work is interesting; his later use of color and pattern is there to a lesser but recognizable degree. A lovely book to spend an afternoon with.
Attractive in its arrangement, this book displays vivid images and enjoyable text. An artistic and professional text.
I have always loved Dean Russo's work as I love and adore animals and his dedication to animal welfare. His works are sunny and bright and a colour explosion and any pet lover would love this book and want to rip out and frame the paintings. (I know I do). Looking for a perfect gift for a dog or cat lover? This is it.--Janet Cousineau "The Glen Cairn Community Resource Centre "
The images in the book are a delight for the eyes and for the soul.
This beautiful retrospective is organized in chronological order and spans Russo's entire career to date--from early drawn cartoon characters to his iconic celebrity portraits, animal welfare activism and his new series that portrays wildlife on the verge of extinction. --Catster Magazine