ARMONDO DELLASANTA was born of immigrant parents on September 24, 1916 in Binghamton, New York. He grew up on Clinton Street, a neighborhood of small shops and constant activity.

He as self-taught and said he had been painting “ever since he could remember.” He educated himself from the vast personal art library which he started to build in the 1930s. Books on French and American Impressionists and the Ashcan School lined one wall of his studio.

In 1940, Dellasanta joined the army infantry and was later shipped to Europe. While stationed in Germany and France, where he earned a bronze star, he made a series of pencil sketches of buildings, scenery and his fellow soldiers. Several paintings of these scenes were completed when he returned home.

Dellasanta’s subjects were drawn from his visits to New York City, his hometown Binghamton and from guard duty in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania. Painted from photographs he took during the 40s, 50s, and 60s, they reflect the influence of the Ashcan School as they depict scenes of everyday life and often capture places that no longer exist.

His scenes are lively and colorful. Dellasanta used customized palette knives and his distinctive impasto technique to create a vibrant colorful sense of energy. He has been referred to as “Binghamton’s Van Gogh” and an “urban Monet.”

Armondo Dellasanta died at age 94 on December 21, 2010.