Frank Rampolla Drawings From The Personal Sketchbooks

Sarasota, FL 1965. Then, as always, the arts were an integral facet of American society they reflected the national issues of the time. In the sixties, it was the Civil Rights movement, women s rights and the pill, Vietnam, Camelot, the Cold War, space races, along with drugs, rock n roll, free love, and hippies searching for meaning and freedom of expression. The art world welcomed rebellion but by the 1960 s, paintings of soup cans and gumball machines became mainstream. A few artists chose a path led not by the whims of the market, but rather the truth of their own conscience with a deep concern for the human condition. Frank Rampolla (1931-1971) ascended from this select group. Rampolla, schooled in the ways of the old masters, had an extraordinary classical knowledge of the arts and literature. He was a classically trained pianist and composer as well as a painter. Scores of artists followed his lead then, and a generation of artists still see his influence in their work today. Many have experienced and appreciated Rampolla s large oil paintings, but none except a few close to him have seen his personal sketchbooks until now. This book is an intimate collection of personal drawings, studies, and ideas from the mind and heart of one of the foremost artists and thinkers of the 20th century.