Joe Pintauro is best known for his plays, poetry and fiction but discovered the power of photography when photographing the shanty towns of Lima, Peru and Santiago, Chile. Pintauro has written about Chile and the murder of democratically elected President Allende in 1973 and also the concomitant death of the poet Pablo Neruda.
He studied cinematography and film making with George Stoney. Strongly influenced by the tones and visual narratives of New Wave Cinema;Truffaut, Fellini, Visconti, and above all–Roberto Rossellini and his films about social injustice and existential uncertainty. Pintauro’s play SNOW ORCHID, now in revival, remains an homage to Anna Magnani. He collaborated with artists Corita Kent and Norman La Liberte on several award winning art books of his poetry published by Harper Collins. His novel Cold Hands was singled out by the NY Times as one of the best novels of the year and his plays are often produced in the US and Europe.
A photo essay and artist book, NUNC ET SEMPER, captures images of night music, Baroque arches and sailcloth drapes surrounding the outdoor rooms of the Piazza San Marco, Venice. These photos are printed on Cartiere Magnagni paper, including 2 large installation type accordions. A book release and exhibition, including large format photographic prints, opened at the Avram Gallery, 26 July 2013, Stony Brook University Southampton.
Two other photo projects: NUN TE SCURDA’ , subterranean early Christian Altars, Naples, and light studies of the Baroque windows of the Neo Classical Palazzo Royale di Capodimonte. AMERICANA, portraits of the Great Recession. ATLANTICA, Winter Surfers of the East End, emulating the gravity and finality of 15th century intimate portraiture, a stylistic homage in the manner of Hans Memling and Jan Van Eyck. Also in this category, portraits of lifeguard culture in broad summer light.
His photographs won honorable mention at the Guild Hall Museum in 2012, Lily Wei curator, and recently by Elizabeth Sussman, photography curator for the Whitney, NYC.