Italian American History and Heroes

Ralph Fasanella (1914-1997)

Born in New York's Greenwich Village, Ralph Fasanella was influenced by his immigrant mother's anarchist and socialist sympathies. He was a union organizer for 15 years, served in the Lincoln Brigade in Spain's fight against fascism, and ran for public office on the American Labor Party ticket with Marcantonio. Fasanella took up painting while pumping gas in the Bronx. He vivid oeuvre consist of mnemonic canvases documenting the struggles and culture of working people, as seen with "Lawrence 1912," "Iceman Crucified," "Family Supper," "May Day," "Festa," and many others. As Fasanella said, "The people who fought for mankind are my heroes." Amen.

 

 

 

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