Leo Frontini: Of Awe & Humility

Exhibition Dates: June 20 - July 27, 2024

Opening Reception: Thursday, June 20th @ 6PM-8PM

39 White Street, Tribeca

Q & A: 1969 Assistant Director Alex Browngardt chats with 24 year-old, Los Angeles -based painter Leo Frontini

Tell me about your experiences with painting while growing up in Ohio.  

Both of my parents are creatives. There were artworks everywhere in our house. I spent a lot of time looking at my Dad’s paintings. Our family often visited the Cleveland Museum of Art. It resulted in an unconscious curiosity and deep appreciation for contemporary art.

You suffered head injuries that still affect you today. How do you battle with that in the studio?

I have had several concussions from playing hockey when I was young. I do not remember very much from that time and I still have a hard time remembering things. The injuries left a dent but probably kindled my art practice. In 2008 I just sat down and started to draw. A lot.

I really enjoy your drawing Instagram account. What role does drawing have in your current practice?

Figure drawing is a fundamental part of my work. It is really where I found my footing and confidence in art and individual expression. Drawing allows me to invent figures, scenes and deal with lighting. I can render what my mind sees. Also, the fluidity and speed of drawing a figure has helped me explore abstraction, simplification, and suggestion.

What is your daily routine?

A regimented schedule is good for me. I try to arrive at the studio around 7 or 8 in the morning. I love coffee. Lots of it. I work a little then write down my thoughts and reflections, maybe go for a walk. Also, music provides energy for my work. If I am painting a background that is hectic and full of expression, I like loud fast music. For everything else I like to slow it down a bit so the brush work is not frantic.

There is a lot of flying and musicality in your work.

You can probably see it best in the perspectives and multi-compass directions of the canvas. And the birds, too

The figures operating inside these dynamic environments form a focal point for these paintings made for our exhibition. They are great examples of Frontinis.

The paintings are metaphors, as if you pressed pause on a time-lapsed scenario. There’s the obvious surreal and romantic narrative you can see. Then the deeper myth, depicting the present reality of the world and human experiences with me as a visual storyteller. 

How do you toggle between drawing and painting?

Drawing is an escape for me, and drawing the figure is a kind of therapy. It helps me empty my mind and also is just a place to study. I return to my sketchbooks frequently. All my ideas and works originate with a drawing. It also keeps my hand looser, less confined than when I am painting. So I do a drawing which is typically quite fast and then turn it into a larger sketch. I then redraw it on to the canvas. 

Painting is a much longer process, full of exploration and arduous execution. It can be quite structured and tight, which might explain why I have to work so methodically.

For Inquiries, please contact

Alexander Browngardt | e: alex@1969gallery.com

Leo Frontini (b. 2000, Cleveland, OH) lives and works in Los Angeles. Frontini was raised in a creative yet solitary household that encouraged him to think abstractly and visually. An unconscious but intuitive practice that he nurtured passionately. After suffering several head injuries, he found himself in the solitude of his mind, exploring the automatic practice of sketching. His upbringing quickly developed into a prodigious compulsion to express himself through two-dimensional media. Frontini received a BFA from Otis College of Art and Design (2023), studying great masters of the past in between frequent Life Drawing sessions. He promptly began his career after graduation with two solo exhibitions in LA. His practice combines his complicated exploration of the subconscious mind and emotional tumult with an exhaustive knowledge of human anatomy, oil painting techniques, and draftsmanship that is unique in its range of influence. Exploring his work is like embarking on a journey that engages both the senses and intellect. His paintings are often accompanied by evocative poetry, an instrumental part of his practice in exploring the hidden allegories of his work. Frontinis’ compositions hold the viewer in captivation and contemplation—a kindling of transcendence.

About 1969 Gallery

Founded in September 2016, 1969 is a contemporary art gallery in Manhattan’s Tribeca neighborhood. Through solo / group / external exhibitions and art fair presentations, the Gallery has cultivated the careers of its represented artists and a broader community of artists primarily devoted to painting.

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