42 Anne Leone

July 27, 2020

42 Anne Leone

Prof. Anne Leone is a phenomenal painter from Brooklyn, NY and Berkley, Massachusetts. She has devoted her career to painting swimmers (primarily her family) as seen underwater at the Cenotes near Tulum, Mexico where her family vacations each year. Cenotes are limestone caves with crystal clear swimming pools. Anne has received two grants from UMass Dartmouth, where she is a professor emeritus, another from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and a fellowship from the Hershey Foundation. She's also been artist in residence at the Millay Colony in Austerlitz N.Y. and Banff Center for the Arts in Alberta, Canada.

'Cenote Azul #26', 2017

Anne was born in Los Angeles. She earned her BA from Boston U, and her MA in fine art at the U of Cincinnati.

'Cenote Azul #16', 2016

According to the CK Contemporary Gallery, which represents Anne, "Leone turned to the motif of water as a metaphor for life, purity and birth, and over time, the paintings changed and adapted to explore themes of independence, vulnerability, and emotional states of mind, often reflecting transitions in her own life."

'Cenote Azul #25', 2017

In this short documentary by Galerie Friedmann-Hahn, Anne describes her art as a respite from NYC, "They don't reflect being in New York. . . . I feel in a way my studio is a big aquarium and I'm in this room all day long, all by myself, working on the things that I love."

'Cenote Azul #7', 2015

"So, when I was expecting my daughter, I was looking for a metaphor that would signify something fresh and clean and pure, and of course, water is a perfect way to do that."

'Cenote Azul #28',

"For many years I worked on painting where the figures were struggling and fighting to breathe, or showing angst in some way. But, frankly, at this stage in my life, I'm quite happy."

Anneleone.com
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