SAN FRANCISCO, CA.- Italian painter Marco Casentini opened a show of recent paintings at Brian Gross Fine Art. The exhibition features Casentini's signature geometric abstractions, composed of overlapping rectangular shapes in intense, saturated colors.

Working in acrylic on canvas, Casentini continues his investigation of color and shape in limited palettes of red, blue, white and silver. In each work, the artist incorporates painted plexiglass panels attached to canvas, adding a physical dimension to the paintings. The clean, hard edges of the plexi blend seamlessly into Casentini's geometric compositions and create unexpected variations in surface and texture.

Casentini's seemingly non-objective works are actually the artist's translations of his emotions and environment. Each painting is inspired by a feeling, place, or memory, expressed through color and composition. In large monochromatic canvases, subtle variations in tone give the paintings a contemplative, emotive quality. In contrast, the largest work in the show features blocks of multiple hues arranged in an energetic composition that echoes both urban architecture and natural landscapes.

Born in La Spezia, Italy in 1961, Casentini studied painting at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Carrara, Italy. His work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions throughout the United States, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, and Australia. This is his fifth solo exhibition with Brian Gross Fine Art, having first exhibited in 1999 as an emerging talent. He currently lives and works in Milan, Italy and Hermosa Beach, California.