Matthew Tarini
Home: Hamilton, Ontario
Title: Malcolm
Media: Oil on linen
Dimensions: 51 x 46 cm
Website: matthewtarini.com
Instagram: @matttarini
ARTIST STATEMENT
For this portrait of my friend Malcolm, my hope was to capture not only his physical appearance, but also his emotional depth and inner world. The simple composition and dark background, similar to portraiture from the Renaissance and Baroque period, are intended to focus the viewer’s attention primarily on the subject’s expressive and direct gaze, while the attire and jewelry provide insight into contemporary self-expression.
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Matthew Tarini is a realist painter currently living in Hamilton, Ontario. Matthew began his art education at a traditional art academy before earning his Bachelor of Fine Arts at York University and Masters of Fine Arts at the University of Western Ontario. He has taught painting and drawing at the University of Alberta, Western University, the Toronto School of Art, Avenue Road School and the Dundas Valley School of Art.
Working primarily in oil paint, he aims to achieve a naturalistic sense of lighting and form, often inspired by 17th and 19th century artists. In addition to his personal work, Matthew is actively pursuing a career as a portrait artist. He has completed private and public commissions, including the portrait of the Dean of Dentistry at the University of Toronto and has appeared on the television show Star Portraits where his work was selected by the comedian, Sean Cullen, for his private collection.
Matthew has had solo exhibitions in Toronto, London and Edmonton, and has participated in numerous group exhibitions across Canada. His work can be found in collections across Canada and internationally. Public collections include York University, the University of Toronto, and the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives. In 2015 and 2019, Matthew received the Elisabeth Greenshields grant for young representational painters. He has been a finalist twice in the Kingston Prize and a finalist in the figurative, portrait, landscape and still life category at the salon competition at the Art Renewal Centre in New Jersey.