Dario Campanile

Dario Campanile, "Oggetti Semplici". Stunning still life featuring pink orchids

2000

Dario Campanile is an Italian-born artist whose career spans over six decades of transformation, passion, and philosophical depth. Raised in Rome, his artistic journey began as a teenager when a prolonged illness confined him to bed—his father gifted him a set of oil paints, sparking what would become a lifelong devotion to visual storytelling. A self-taught painter, Campanile’s early mastery of realism drew the attention of Salvador Dalí, who dubbed him “The Roman Master,” and he was also influenced by metaphysical artist Giorgio de Chirico. Over the years, Campanile’s work evolved from precise realism and surrealism into a freer, more intuitive style of abstract expressionism, which he now embraces as his truest form of creative release. His practice is rooted in a philosophy of surrender, channeling creativity through childlike openness and trust in the subconscious. Beyond the canvas, his career includes landmark moments such as redesigning the Paramount Pictures logo in 1986 and painting a portrait of the Dalai Lama for the global “Missing Peace” project. Now based in the U.S., Campanile continues to create with undiminished energy, finding constant inspiration in the beauty of the natural world and the evolving landscape of the human spirit.