Mauro Chiarla - 1949 - Piedmont, Italy

Vineyard Scene

Township Life

Cape Valley

Township Scene

Education

Mauro was born in Piedmont, an area known as the French part of Italy, where he  lived until the age of eight. As there were very economically depressing times  for Italy, the Chiarla family decided to immigrate to South Africa in 1957 to  start a new life. Mauro attended the normal primary and senior schooling in  South Africa and it was only in his teenage years that he studied Commercial Art at college.

He had always drawn and painted as a child, but had no real encouragement from  the outside to seek formal tuition.

Influences

No one can live in the aesthetically rich and varied Italy without it seeping  into one’s pores. For Mauro, the Impressionists, Post-Impressionists and  Expressionists and particularly their use of light and colour made the biggest  impact. Matisse, Cézanne, Monet and Manet from the European stable and in South  Africa, G. Goodman, Hugo Naudé  and Titto Fasciciotti were also big influences.
 
But of course the biggest influences on Mauro were the scenes he captured, the  interaction of people in that scenery, the colours, attitudes and movement.

About  the Artist

Mauro is one those very genuine people and is very modest about his great talent as an artist. When he left college, he started working as a silkscreen graphic printer and manager. He painted and drew for private shows and weekend exhibitions, such as Art in the Park.

He is always ready to learn and apply himself to new  subjects and formats. He finds great fulfillment when his pictures tell a story  to others and yield dimensions of emotions unknown to him during the creation  of the work.
 
Every two years Mauro and his wife revisit Italy, in particular Umbria and Tuscany, where he paints and draws to capture scenes, taking photographs to  complete the research. On his return to South Africa we then see an explosion of talent and new works.

Style  & Format

Definitely a Post-Impressionist, Mauro uses oil pastel, acrylic and oil paints  as the main media for his works on paper, board and on canvas.
 
He is able to combine colours in support and contrast in a way that thrills not  only us the “viewers”, but also other South African artists. He is an artist’s  artist and could well command master classes were he not so humbly  focused. 
 
Main subjects depicted in all sizes are landscapes from Southern Africa and Europe, Seascapes, Tuscan buildings and landscapes,  African market scenes, group scenes, nudes, still lifes and interiors. Mauro has also done a series of abstract art.

In terms of collectability for the future, there is no doubt  that Mauro aspires to be a new South African master.

Please contact us should you be interested in commissioning Mauro Chiarla to paint a specific scene.

Exhibitions

•   The Little Gallery – Sandton – 1998
•   Gallery on the Side – Fourways, Sandton – 1999
•   Kalk Bay Gallery – Kalk Bay, Cape Town –  2000
•   Gallery Monte Casino – Fourways, Sandton – 2001
•   Gallery Hermanus – Hermanus, Western Cape –  2002
•   The Corner Gallery – Gauteng – 2002
•   South African Art Collection – V&A Waterfront, Cape Town – 2003
•   Vineyard Gallery Claremont – Claremont, Cape Town – 2004
•   Gallery on the Side – Fourways, Sandton –  2005
•   Vineyard Gallery Claremont – Claremont, Cape Town – 2006
•   Vineyard Gallery Franschhoek – Franschhoek,  Western Cape – 2006
•   Gallery on the Side – Fourways, Sandton – 2007
•   Hyde Park Gallery – Hyde Park, Johannesburg  – 2008, 2009

Private  Collections

•   The Table Bay Hotel – V&A Waterfront, Cape Town
•   The Worcester Hotel & Casino – Worcester, Western Cape

Commission or purchase fine art by Mauro Chiarla by emailing Fine Art Portfolio at info@fineartportfolio.co.za, or by calling us on on +27 (0)21 433 0908.