Franco Demonte’s paintings are a complex dialogue of abstract landscapes weaving color, texture, and cultural artifacts. Born in Winfield, Illinois, Franco was raised in an Italian household where trips to Italy introduced him to painting, architecture, and archaeology. Franco studied life-drawing, painting, anatomy, illustration, and painting at the American Academy of Art in Chicago. Inspired by Caravaggio, Michelangelo, Cezanne, Matisse, Van Gogh, Picasso, Emilio Scanavino, and Emilio Vedova. Demonte began drawing at a young age, studying photos and rendering his work from memory. Franco’s first drawing of Roger Rabbit at the age of 7 quickly showed his talent, followed by a self-portrait and a pencil drawing of a young Elvis Presley. Franco poured his interest in Disney books and copied many of the illustrations that inspired his future creations. The artist admired the grace of the Old Masters, the timeless portraits and still life of Botticelli, Titian, and Giotto di Bondone to n