Cucaro's painting style is characterized by a bold gestural quality, complimented by a thick application of paint. In some cases, the artwork has paint so thick it seems to have been applied straight from the tube. After serving in World War II, he attended the California School of Fine Arts in San Francisco, then returned to Europe to spend time in France, Spain, and Italy to study art on his own.
A one-man art show held at the Butler Institute of American Art at his hometown in 1958 was followed by other exhibitions in California, as well as Hawaii and Japan. He was nominated for the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1965.
Cucaro talked about only two things, painting and love. Those, he says, are his only interests. "I paint all the time, day and night. I have no television, no radio and only sometimes read the headlines of the newspapers." With dark, piercing eyes, a mobile face and expressive hands always on the move, the artist had been painting for over 70 years.
Oil on Board
Sight: 7 1/2 x 15 1/2"
Overall: 14 1/4 x 22 1/2"