ELEKTRA Painting

Throughout his life, self-taught, Italian-born Portrait and Visual Artist & Creative Entrepreneur Alex Di Silvestro has explored and worked across a wide spectrum of visual arts, from portraiture and logo design to fashion illustration and photography. But where the artist truly excels is in his Iconic Portraiture, the latest and most defining stage of his creative career. Alex began his artistic journey in urban London in the early 2000s, working as a freelance fashion and portrait illustrator and visual designer. At the same time, he was the co-founder and brand director of a renowned luxury fashion brand until 2019, when an unexpected business trip to Spain turned his life around in the most remarkable way. While traveling to Barcelona, Alex made a spontaneous stop in Cadaqués, right next to Salvador Dalí’s house. It wasn’t mere coincidence; it was alignment. The following day, he visited the house, but it was at the the Salvador Dali' Museum in Figueres that the true magic unfolded. Alex was profoundly inspired and creatively awakened by the master of surrealism, Salvador Dalí not only by his genius and extraordinary works, but by the distinctive character captured in his face and expression. Alex started sketching immediately. “I have always been fascinated by faces, since my early childhood. I used to stare at strangers and speak to them, with a spontaneous yet sometimes twisted tone. While words can try to disguise our inner emotions, eyes always speak the our emotions...” [ Alex Di Silvestro ] When he returned home, Alex’s creativity exploded. Dalí’s eccentric gaze had ignited something deep within him unleashing a repressed artistic voice and reaffirming his lifetime ambition to become a professional painting artist. Dalí was the catalyst that evolved Alex’s illustrations into a new style of bold, vibrant, contemporary, minimalist iconic portraiture igniting the latest and most successful phase of his career. Among the very first artworks he produced, Alex’s Dalí portrait series became an immediate success. He captured the complexity and inner essence of such an eclectic character through an ultra-minimalist painting style using simple lines, no brushstrokes, and a subtle touch of contemporary street art and graffiti influence. Alex created and defined a unique painting style, unseen in portraiture before. Although ultra-minimalist, his portraits evoke strong emotions, forming deep connections with their audience.