Italian artist Giovanni Tresso offers a glimpse into the portals of the human soul. Each portrait is the result of an intimate interlude between the commissioner and the artist that fuses painting and photography. Tresso meets the subject in person and builds his paintings on a collection of impromptu snapshots that reveal microexpressions and movements indicative of their personality. The key is to catch the sitter off guard, so that they abandon their defensive social barriers and expose their authentic essence. Echoing his background in design and advertising, Tresso’s works possess a distinctive graphic aesthetic. The facial traits are carved out using negative space and a highly contrasting bichromatic palette of white and either blue, red, green, or black. This, combined with the imposing scale of the pieces, garners a powerful magnetic quality that keeps the viewer glued to the canvas. “My portraits are timeless stories,” Tresso says. “They will go beyond the earthly life of the person they represent and become immortal.”

Tresso received a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Marketing from Istituto Europeo di Design in Milan. His portraits are highly sought-after among personalities in the world of music, fashion, and cinema. He lives and works near Venice, Italy.