Born in Salerno in Southern Italy, the Pinto family immigrated to the United States when Salvatore was 4 years old.  The family was possibly poor, which would have explained their departure from Europe, and was clearly artistically inclined.  Saltvatore Pinto (1905-1966) became on accomplished painter and printmaker, as did his younger brothers, Angelo and Biagio.  They followed in his footsteps and practiced the same craft.  Salvatore received a formal fine arts education in Philadelpia and was noticed at a young age by Albert C. Barnes, who funneled resources to Salvatore and his brother though his eponymous foundation, The Barnes Foundation.  This afforded Salvatore the opportunity to travel to Europe extensively on a scholarship.  Three further scholarships led Salvatore to study with Henri Matisse in the South of France.  The French master’s esthetic and technique became part of Pinto’s artistic vocabulary.  Matisse’s insouciance and his focus on subjects of leisure, warm weather, and relaxed life rubbed off on Salvatore Pinto.  He homed in on similar subject matters, specifically on beach scenes.  As a printmaker, Pinto is best remembered for fine and elegant wood engravings.  His etchings, in which cities feature more prominently should, however, not be missed either.