The Photographs of Richard Renaldi

My friend Bart sent me a link to the website of photographer Richard Renaldi, a artist who captures the lonely intimacy of subjects leading lives of quiet desperation. In color and mood, the photographs remind me of the paintings of Andrew Wyeth, an artist Renaldi cites on his blog. Both artists capture characters inseparable from mundane yet dramatic landscapes, illuminated by muted, suggestive colors, the chromatic calm before the storm. Many of Renaldi's subjects look at the camera, caught in untold narratives, self-conscious in a moment of anticipation, perhaps erotic, perhaps violent.