The Encounter Series: Familiar Mysteries: Paintings by Matthew Capaldo

Matthew Capaldo’s figurative paintings present psychologically charged narratives of contemporary life, balancing a tension between flux and stillness, saturation and transparency. Using imaginative elements, personal photographs and stills adapted from film and popular media his paintings depict scenes in which individuals or groups are engaged in situations that appear both mysterious and strangely familiar. His paintings explore the relationship of the self to others and the shifting nature of the individual both within and apart from society.

Often the work is imbued with an underlying tone of reflection and nostalgia. “I’m referencing the past and external, seemingly unrelated images to reveal an internal landscape guided by personal symbolism,” explains the artist. Matthew Capaldo is a self-taught artist, based in Provincetown, Massachusetts. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Boston University.

The exhibition presents more than 25 paintings drawn from private collections locally and throughout the country. The Encounter Series is an in initiative of the Orlando Museum of Art which showcases notable artists in our community and beyond who have enriched Central Florida’s cultural life.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.