The new exhibit at BankRI on Pitman Street features the work of Rhode Islander and RISD grad Tom DiLucia — “Madworks: Scenes from Dante’s Inferno and Other Drawings.” Interesting story of how he got discovered and how his painting led him to study film-making.

A chance encounter at the Providence Street Painting Festival changed his life.  Artist Ruth Dealy had been hired as one of the judges for the contest; DiLucia was one of the contestants.  Dealy saw promise in the work of the young artist and invited him to her studio.

“Ruth has been almost a fairy art mother to me,” DiLucia says. She wrote recommendations for him, and soon DiLucia found himself in the freshman class at RISD on his way to making movies.  He took painting and drawing classes.  He majored in live action film.  All told, he made about 10 short films for his classes at RISD, learning techniques in animation, puppet animation, crafting puppets, making sets, live action and directing.

His drawings are reminiscent of scenes from movies, perhaps even a Tim Burton movie.  Richly colored, weirdly evocative and intensely personal, they describe scenes from Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy, George Orwell’s Animal Farm and L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz.

Through January 2, BankRI Galleries, 137 Pitman Street

Tags: art, Film

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