Victor Gatto Train Through Tunnel

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The Baron and Ellin Gordon Art Galleries display Victor Joseph Gatto’s painting Train through Tunnel as a part of The Art of Trains exhibit. Created in the 1950’s, Gatto uses oil paint on a medium-sized, rectangular canvas board set in a landscape position. Positioned amongst other monochromatic artwork of trains in the gallery, the vibrancy of Train through Tunnel prompts it to stand out. The titular painting presents a flame-colored passenger train passing through a rough tunnel and traveling towards a grassy and rocky terrain. According to the placard, Gatto is a self-taught artist who is fascinated with capturing the allure of different landscapes.
Rather than portray the mere appearance of a scenery, Gatto also seeks to evoke a feeling in this particular landscape. He projects a whimsical scenery by using a passenger train as the main subject of the art piece. By depicting a train containing open seating and teeming with people, the whole painting becomes reminiscent of an amusement park ride. Whereas placing a straight railroad would have …show more content…

By providing directional cues of where to look and when, the artist allows outsiders to grasp the context and connect with his purpose. At the foreground, Gatto forms a diagonal line from the tunnel to the bottom left corner. This dynamic line emphasizes the train’s movement towards front, making viewers feel as if they are watching it pass by in real life. From this point onward, he prompts our eyes to move from left to right with horizontal lines. He forms horizontal lines with the linear stretch of mountain and the parallel clouds; in addition to this, four boulders are also positioned across the horizon. Consequently, the viewers stop focusing on the main subject’s action and expand their field of view, leading them to admire the beautiful nature that surrounds the

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