During The Night 

Dan Graziano's painting "During The Night" plunges us into a deeply shadowed alleyway lit by the stark glow of streetlights. The thick application of paint gives a tactile quality to the slick, dark surfaces. The composition is structured by contrasting light and shadow, a formal strategy which evokes a sense of mystery. The bright yellows and oranges of the lights are starkly set against the dark blues and blacks of the night. The lines of the buildings and the snaking electrical wires converge, drawing the viewer's eye further into the ambiguous space. This use of linear perspective and tonal contrast creates an unsettling tension, a hallmark of the sublime. Graziano destabilizes our sense of perspective with light, obscuring certain forms and highlighting others, thus, challenging our perception of spatial depth. By manipulating these elements, the artist pushes us to question the reality of what we see, suggesting that what lies hidden is as important as what is revealed.