Federico Castelluccio's newest fans know him as "Furio Giunta" on the HBO hit series "The Sopranos." But, Federico has many fans who have for years admired his off-screen talent, as a modern master of realism. His paints are owned by collectors in the United States, in South America and in Europe.

Now, for the first time, Federico Castelluccio's works are being offered as limited editions prints. These fine art prints are available on canvas through Modern Renaissance, Inc.

Federico was born in Naples, Italy and immigrated with his family to the United States at the age of four. He grew up in Paterson, NJ, eventually winning a full scholarship to the prestigious "School of Visual Arts" in New York City where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

Mr. Castelluccio has received numerous awards and accolades for his paintings and has been represented by several galleries including Silverstein Gallery and Ambassador Galleries in New York City. Mr. Castelluccio's influences are numerous, ranging from Classicism to Impressionism to Surrealism. But his passion lies in the Renaissance. "Whenever I need inspiration or have a difficult question, I usually visit the Museum and go to the Masters. They always seem to have the right answers for me."

Federico's painting technique is derived mainly from The Italian, Flemish and German Masters. His meticulous style and attention to detail lend itself well when painting realism, whether it be a portrait, still life, or landscape. His paintings combine the old and the new, the whimsical with the serious. He also incorporates elements or images from subtle to blatant, that are symbolic to history, his subject or himself. "Studying the Renaissance Masters made me realize that meticulous observation is extremely important to a painter in order to capture the essence of whatever he or she is painting. Whether it be the way the light gently falls on a subject and how it affects the color in the light as opposed to in the shadow, or observing nature, perspective and the human figure. I also feel that it takes numerous preliminary drawings and sketches for an artist to fully understand his subject." Federico incorporates these valuable and essential ingredients in his work as well as using some of the exact formulas that were used over four hundred years ago.