Refugee

When painter Michael Fratangelo first encountered images of refugees crossing the Mediterranean Sea into Europe, he was deeply moved. Having previously created socially engaged work with Iraq: Paintings of War (2005), exhibited at the Florence Biennale, Fratangelo felt compelled to respond to this contemporary crisis. Refugee, a series of paintings addressing the immigration crisis in Europe, premiered at Atithi Studios in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 2024. Each 6’x5’ canvas draws from photographs from The New York Times documentation of the refugee crisis, using acrylic, latex, and glitter to capture the human experience.

Fratangelo's gestural technique employs long, sharp brushstrokes and abstracted imagery. He begins with preparatory sketches based on photographs but allows intuition to guide the painting process — comparing his approach to jazz improvisation, where building blocks give way to spontaneous expression. In works like Reflection, he painted faces of family, friends, and mentors to show that displacement can happen to anyone. Hosanna and Hand of God draw from religious imagery across multiple faiths, emphasizing universal needs for safety and relief. The refugee photographs felt biblical to Fratangelo, with their dramatic compositions of humans struggling against overwhelming elements.

While creating Refugee, Fratangelo approached the work with reverence for the human stories of the Middle Eastern and North African people he depicted. Though viewers may find familiar religious symbols, the work transcends individual faiths to address universal human vulnerability. Fratangelo hopes visitors to the exhibition share his refusal to look away from images of suffering and recognize the shared humanity they reveal.

Bio

Michael Fratangelo (Penn State BFA '01) is a Pittsburgh-based painter who creates socially engaged work. Fratangelo first gained recognition with Iraq: Paintings of War (2005), a series of paintings responding to violence in Iraq which premiered at Bella Arte Gallery in Pittsburgh, PA. The series was subsequently exhibited at the 2005 Florence Biennale. In the years following, Fratangelo showed work at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts and Media and was represented by Bella Arte Gallery until its closure in 2008. In 2024, Fratangelo debuted his Refugee series at Atithi Studios in Sharpsburg, PA, where he also has studio space. Fratangelo has been accepting portrait commissions since 2005. PBS/WQED featured his Iraq: Paintings of War series and local and national outlets like Pittsburgh City Paper, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, South Hills Record, and Maniac Magazine covered his work. Internationally, Wiedza i Życie (Science and Life) in Poland and Indigo Blue Magazine in Greece have featured his paintings.