Joseph Gemellaro is a natural-born talent greatly influenced by the drawing styles of the great Italian masters, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, after having travelled to Italy as a young boy.
He brings this appreciation of European art into the sketches he creates of 20th Century American pop icons, from Charlie Chaplin, Louis Armstrong, Elizabeth Taylor, and Janis Joplin to Superman, Steve Jobs, and Barack Obama.
“I start with the eyes,” Mr. Gemallaro says when describing his method for drawing portraits. And it’s the eyes that immediately attract the viewer, drawing them in to the heart and soul of a familiar face. Nowhere is this more evident than in his portrait of Mohammed Ali. Although this portrait features only Ali’s eye and eyebrow, viewers instantly recognize it as the portrait of the flamboyant boxer who floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee.
Similar to Ali’s gift for showmanship, Mr. Gemellaro sketches with unabashed force, apologizing to no one as he lays it all on the line.
The Level 2 display cases feature a special display of artifacts which offer a fascinating glimpse into the life of an American soldier during WWI.