Photography is a medium that captures the human spirit in real time. The fleeting moments, often taken for granted, can, in an instant, be preserved for generations. While photos embrace who we are as humans, only a select few photographers have a gift. Ron Dell’Aquila is truly adept in his craft, taking every day scenes and presenting them in a way that arouses intense emotions.,/
A deserted street, filled with parked street bikes, is set against urban buildings and lit by neon signs and glowing red lanterns that emerge from the background presents a compelling image in “Red Lantern Alley.” The photograph, which won the Triton Museum’s Statewide Painting Competition and Exhibition, is the first image that catches the viewer’s eye in the Triton Museum of Art’s Warburton room.
Photos of people, uninhabited landscapes and items overlooked by many, take on an entirely different meaning through Dell’Aquila’s lens and line the remainder of the gallery walls.
In one of his nature photographs, moss-covered intertwined tree trunks lay amid an emerald forest and intense green hues grab viewers, bringing them into the serenity of the woodlands in “Mossy Trees, Rancho San Antonio.”
“This photograph, Mossy Trees, evokes in me a sense of mystery about nature and the living world around us,” says the Triton’s Chief Curator Preston Metcalf. “Dell’Aquila is a capturer of moods. Through his camera lens, he sees and records sensations that others may only see as interesting vistas, people or places.”
What Dell’Aquila does behind the camera is unique, capturing the scenery around him and provoking powerful feelings in the viewer. It’s not enough to look at his photographs; they must be examined to fully soak in the subtleties.
“I create images that are graphically strong yet gentle in presentation,” says Dell’Aquila. “I respond to the delicate quality of light present in the world I see … I look for the forms created by shadows and shapes found on rolling landscapes; the edges and transparency of delicate petals or on the sensual flows on the human figure. The luminosity and color of light is what moves me. I’m looking for a quiet, thoughtful illumination to be the conveyer of the image.”
With impeccable compositions and keen eye, Dell’Aquila has taken his passion and created dramatic, vivid images that speak to the masses.
“Ron Dell’Aquila: Photography” is at the Triton Museum of Art, 1505 Warburton Ave. in Santa Clara now through Nov. 16. Visit tritonmuseum.org/exhibitions_Dell’Aquila.php for more information.