Donald Gialanella

St George and the Dragon Parallax Cross - CorTEN steel, stainless steel and gold leaf

Artist's Comment on the Design:

The 'St George and the Dragon Parallax' sculpture is designed around the principle of the parallax, meaning the angle and distance of the viewer determines which of two distinctly different images will be seen.

When approaching the sculpture from the front at the optimum viewing distance, a perfect cross is seen, defined by seven 'floating' 23 karat gold leaf squares, supported by vertical 'lines' that are the edges of the profile plates. As the viewer's angle of observation changes, the edges of the profile plates give way to the dimensional image of St George on horseback slaying the dragon.

When I embedded the cross inside the image of St George and the dragon using parallax architecture, I knew I had hit upon an elegant and novel solution that revealed the spirit of God within man's struggle of good over evil.

Profile of the Artist:

Donald Gialanella studied in New York City at the Cooper Union, where apprenticeship programmes exposed him to bronze casting, steel fabrication, painting, drawing and graphic design. After graduating in 1979 and being awarded the Elliot Lash Prize in recognition of his monumental wood and steel tripods exhibited in Cooper Park, Donald spent the next year working as assistant to artist Louise Bourgeois.

He then moved to California and worked as a newspaper illustrator, returning to New York City two years later to begin a decade-long Emmy-winning career as Graphics Producer for the ABC (American Broadcasting Company) television network.

In 1992, Donald ventured to Turkey where he taught art at Bilkent University and had his first major one-man show at Ars Gallery, Ankara. After two years abroad, he returned stateside and began working in earnest on sculpture again.

Donald's recent work explores the phenomenon of the parallax. His ultimate creation in this genre is 'St George and the Dragon Parallax Cross'. Looking at parallax sculpture from one side, the viewer can see multiple layers of two-dimensional steel plates that come together in the mind to produce a recognisable three-dimensional image. As the viewer changes position, there lies a conundrum: we see only the vertical edges of the plates standing parallel to one another. We no longer see the form we previously recognised. This dichotomy extends the boundaries of the artwork by having it take shape in the viewer's thoughts and challenging what they see.

Donald has exhibited in sculpture parks, public spaces, museums and galleries around the world.  Personalities as diverse as Uri Geller, Howard Stern and Angelina Jolie own his work.

Back to submissions