About

Who am I

A contemporary painter painter who has found his own style with steady exercise and who has trained in the challenging dynamism of his daily life in complex cities such as New York, Milan, London, Naples, Rome, Instanbul and today Verona (all locations where he has lived a significant period of his life).

My name is Massimiliano, but just call me Max;
I am an Italian artist;
Class of 71;
I do not sell my paintings because I do not want to imprison my creativity in commercial schemes;
I paint only if I listen to music (always with over-ear headphones);
To be independent I have a job that has nothing to do with the art world.

My artistic goal

My artistic goal is to create paintings with explosive colors, that at a first reading can always donate a positive emotion and that, after that first superficial reading and if properly observed, can also express stories of deep inner reflection and of deep analysis of the dynamics of today's society.

Riempitismo
(my philosophy)

The "Riempitismo" is the name I coined in 2002 to describe my philosophy of thought and the technique I use to paint ...

The word "Riempitismo" is an Italian way for me to define a style of painting that is based on "filling spaces" (in Italian "riempire spazi") ... it derives from the italian verb "riempire" (in English "to fill") ... from which my "Riempitismo" is born...

I think everyone remembers those color pages we used to play with when we were kids ... we were given the outlines ... and our job was to fill them with the colors that were indicated ... and then to create a piece of art that the author had designed for us ...and my style of painting from a technical point of view starts from that very simple concept and is in fact based on a "filling" (in Italian "Riempire" from the "Riempitismo") of color all the forms that define a story ...

But this does not explain the real meaning of my "Riempitismo" ... which is my response or reaction to the anxiety of living frequently transmitted to us by the sometimes crazy dynamics of modern society ... reality with which we are confronted every day ... where everything always seems to run even when it is not necessary ... where many people are no longer able to stop and reflect about their lives ... or maybe they are simply afraid to do so ... and I express on canvas that anxiety of living with a style that fills every possible space of the canvas ... almost obsessed by the precise definition of the zones that must never overlap because each one has its own individual relevance ... with the "Riempitismo" I let my inner self talk ... without masks ... without protections or filters ...

This is my “Riempitismo” ... nothing more nothing less...

Influences

All my paintings are influenced by different painters or artistic movements of the past even if since long time they have assumed an expressive form that characterizes me as an Artist able to express his own personal style. Those who more than others have influenced and still influence my style of painting are the powerful colors of Pop Art (mid 50's - late 70's) and its ability to channel serious messages through a style and colors apparently joyful (especially the entire collection of works by Roy Lichtenstein and Keith Haring). And then, in several of my works, there is the influence of Abstract Expressionism with in particular the works of Jackson Pollock. In my works there is, although not always explicit, the influence of Ellsworth Kelly's Hard-Edge Painting. Starting mostly from those points of reference, my style of painting always expresses an open dialogue with myself and therefore the themes I deal with are very personal or express my vision of the current world and its dynamics.

For those who would like to have one of my paintings

I DO NOT SELL my paintings or realize paintings on commission;
I do not realize paintings for strangers;
I gift my paintings only to friends or people I esteem (in the latter case even if, before the gift, strangers);
I NEVER receive money in exchange for my paintings and, the 2 times I did, I donated the money to one of the two nonprofit organizations I used to support (today I support only one).

If anyone who receives one of my paintings asks how they can reciprocate, I ask them not to spend money on a gift for me, but to make a donation to the Massimo Leone Foundation. A nonprofit Foundation that I support and that is devoted to the reintegration of people who are homeless or marginalized from society through classes in practical activities such as sculpture, leatherworking and computer science in the city where I was born (Naples):

Fondazione Massimo Leone

To make the donation you will have to make a wire transfer to the "Fondazione Massimo Leone onlus":

Bank of destination: Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo (via Montebello 18, Milano, Italy)
IBAN: IT53H0329601601000066433873
SWIFT/BIC: FIBKITMM
Bank wire transfer recipient: Fondazione Massimo Leone onlus

Donation that will also allow a tax deduction on your tax declaration, but to obtain it, those who receive my painting will need to contact the Foundation for a tax receipt.

PS: only on the Gabs 2021 collaboration, I received money for the sale of the use of 8 images of 8 of my paintings, but then I did not receive any roylaties on the subsequent sales volume or sales in general. So, on this transaction, I paid in 2022 (as part of my 2021 annual tax return) the taxes indicated by my accountant on the one-time amount received from Gabs in 2021

My supplier of Art products

My supplier of any Art products I need is Amicucci from Urbino (Italy):

www.amicucci.it