Federico Castelluccio

By Ken Hall

Fans of the hit HBO series The Sopranos will instantly recognize Federico Castelluccio, the actor who plays Furio Giunta, a pony-tailed Neapolitan enforcer best known for his forbidden tryst with Tony's wife, Carmella (and having to high-tail it out of the country as a result).

There are many actors who happen to be painters. Federico is a rare breed who's just the opposite: a painter who happens to be an actor. "I was earning a living with my art long before I made any money as an actor," he said. "I bought my house in New Jersey with my paintings."

Castelluccio's style incorporates the meticulous technique of the Renais-sance Masters, often juxtaposed with an incongruent modern-day object. This trompe l'oeil ("trick of the eye") process -- itself a favorite with many of the old Masters -- permits Federico to combine the old with the new, the whimsical with the serious.

"For years, I have studied and revered the painting of the European Masters of the Renaissance," Castel-luccio said. "Their principles and ideals of working directly from life and close observation of nature have been my main inspiration as a painter."

So much so that an exhibit of his works at a gallery in New York was titled, simply, "Renaissance." The show was held at Lawrence Steigrad Fine Arts, which mainly deals in Old Master and British paintings, drawings and sculptures from the 16th-18th centuries.

Castelluccio is the only living artist ever to have a show at this venue. "I have known the gallery owners for some time," he said, "but this is still such an honor. Just to have my work displayed in the same gallery with these monumental talents from the past is very humbling."

Federico's own personal past began in Naples, Italy, in 1964, the year he was born. When he was three, his family packed up and moved to the United States. They settled in Paterson, N.J., where Castelluccio grew up. He remembers being interested in art and being surrounded by prints of the Old Masters as a boy.

"I come from a culture that reveres great works of art," he said. Prints by Rembrandt, Raphael, Michelangelo and others filled the walls at home. Both his parents were artistically inclined. His father, now retired, worked with dyes and fabrics and was fascinated by color.

Young Federico first became interested in drawing by watching his older brother, who was enrolled at art school. At age 10, he tried his first oil painting, a copy of Rembrandt's "Boy With a Straw Hat." He didn't like the result.
"It frustrated me because it took so long to dry, plus I didn't like the way it looked," he said. "I tossed it aside in disgust, but when I went back and looked at it about six months later, I thought, 'Hey, that wasn't all that bad!'"

Castelluccio remembers, as a child, often looking at a painting by one of the Masters and thinking, "I can do that!" He decided early on he would devote his life to art, and received a full scholarship to the School of Visual Arts in New York City. There, he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in painting and media arts.

Throughout his college years, Castelluccio worked as a professional illustrator, garnering numerous industry awards in the process. But before that, while still in high school, something happened that gave him his first peek into the world of acting.

"I was working as an illustrator, after school, at the former Paterson News," he said. "One day, one of the writers told me she was going to be interviewing George Burns. I thought that was just the greatest thing, as I'd always admired George Burns. I casually offered to do a portrait piece to go along with the story."

A few days later, the writer came up to Federico and said, "You've got one week to do that portrait." And he was serious! "I painted feverishly for the next six or seven days," Castelluccio said, "creating a montage-like portrait that showed George Burns with his trademark cigar, George with Gracie Allen (his late wife), and other scenes from his life."

When the article came out, Federico presented Burns with the portrait as a gift, and the late comedian loved it. In fact, Burns was so impressed, he introduced the young painter to people from PBS, ABC and other networks. Some hired him to do illustrations for various projects.

Castelluccio likens painting to acting. "They're actually very similar," he said. "In both, you start with a blank canvas. Then, you come up with an idea, or a rough sketch, of what you're trying to develop. From there, you keep adding layers, whether it be to a character or the canvas."

In addition to his work on The Sopranos, Castelluccio has also had roles on NYPD Blue and the daytime dramas Guiding Light and As the World Turns. He's also appeared in numerous feature-length films, including Badges, Eighteen Shades of Dust, Made and Fire.

Works of art by Castelluccio sell for $3,000-$5,000 for a color sketch and $15,000-$30,000 for an original oil painting. Luminaries who have purchased his work include Donald Trump, Whoopi Goldberg, Caroline Rhea, Geoffrey Holder and blues legend Buddy Guy.

To learn more about Federico and his art, click on www.federicocastelluccio.com. Fans of Federico Castelluccio may write to the star c/o Goldstein Communications, Ltd., 350 Fifth Ave., Ste. 1216, New York, NY 10118.

Federico Castelluccio was born in Naples, Italy, and raised in Paterson, N.J. Fans who know him from the hit series The Sopranos will be surprised to learn he doesn't speak with an accent.

Castelluccio employs the trompe l'oeil (trick of the eye) process, often juxtaposing incongruent objects in the same painting.

"The Duke and Duchess of North Caldwell" pays homage to Edie Falco and James Galdofini, Federico's co-stars in the hit HBO series The Sopranos.