Matilde Olivera
Spain
I was born in Madrid in 1987, since I was a little girl I felt very attracted to the visual arts, I spent my time drawing and playing with paint. When I finished high school, I decided to study the degree in Fine Arts at the Complutense University in Madrid, where I graduated in 2010.
My interest in realism has led me to seek ways to keep learning the traditional methods of representation and improving my technique. I have attended various workshops with renowned representational painters such as Antonio López and José María Mezquita and I have completed my artictic fomation at important realist academies such as The Florence Academy of Art and Angel Academy of Art, both in Florence. I must admit I feel the need to be constantly learning, wich is something I hope to continue doing until my last day.
As an artist I mainly work on commission, I have done numerous projects for churches, such as the parrish of Saint John Chrysostom in Madrid. When I work for individuals, I usually focus on portraiture and landscape, two subjects that I am particularly fond of. I find in the human face and the human figure a strong expressive capacity that allows the telling of stories and transmiting emotions, while in nature and plein air I discover a beauty that can move the soul and make it aware of its transcendence.
In all of my works I seek to reproduce not exactly what I see, but rather to capture the essence that shines through the forms, to find the true character of each motif, as Rodin used to put it. Although I identify my artwork with contemporary realism, it is true that I often delve into the world of abstraction and include both languages in my pieces. In the same way, I am also halfway between painting and sculpture, two mediums that offer different expressive possibilities and which I like to explore equally.
* This statement has been provided directly by the artist in association to their 16th International ARC Salon entries. This content has not been edited for typos or grammatical errors and has not been vetted for accuracy.