Dean Russo is an American artist known for colorful paintings of animal faces as well as human faces. He outlines the faces in dark, heavy lines normally but every other bit of every piece is filled to the brim with shapes and colors. This formula Russo has created is absolutely brilliant for a multitude of reasons. For one, this appeals to the common person who is only trained to see normal, familiar shapes like those of animals. Yet, in spite of being based in such representational art, the rest is so abstract Russo's paintings represents the infinite amount of personalities and thoughts and feelings each subject could have at any point in time. Because of this, many of Russo's paintings are sponsored by charity organizations such as The Mountain for animal conservation and other causes, which is how I first found out about him. Most of his work goes towards these kinds of great causes we should all invest into, and every painting shows us why.
Here's what others say about Dean Russo:
The Grommet agrees with my sentiments - saying Russo's art is a fantastic representation of all that an animal is and will be beyond their aesthetics. Every piece has every bit of love we would pour into our pets.
FramedArt describes Russo as amazingly unique and masterful in capturing the individualism of every living creature. It's also noted that his ability to use at least ten mediums in every work without seeming to be too much is unparalleled.
Frame USA says Russo's love of animals is effectively communicated through every work he has done. The vibrancy in each painting is to contrast his home, Brooklyn, to say animals and Brooklyn are both misunderstood and no matter where one is they are as bright as his work.