Born in Brescia in 1941, he began painting in 1974 in the studio of Gianfranco Ferroni, whom he would always regard as his “ethical master.” From 1983 to 1985 he lived between Paris, New York, and Venice, before returning permanently to Bologna in 1987.

Tonelli’s painting suggests a strong stability of image, expressed through clean, synthetic, and balanced forms, as well as through the measured emphasis on detail. The depiction of metropolises — places where the artist spent long periods of his life — reveals no trace of narrative intent or nostalgic indulgence. Every mark and every chromatic variation is carefully considered and skillfully calibrated, elevating the image into a lucid visual synthesis. The vast plain, where Tonelli established his home for more than twenty years, is also a subject dear to him, as are horizons over the sea, equally still and silent: inner landscapes, suspended in time.