A founding member and director of the Rockport Art Association, and an educator at the Rhode Island School of Design, Antonio Cirino implored his students to “work in the spirit of Michelangelo: he burned barrels of sketches to conceal his hard work.” Cirino was born in Italy and then later returned there to study art. Infused with the love of nature – as with many Rockport artists of the time – his impressionistic paintings were primarily executed en plein air.