I need to quit smoking, 2022

Matthieu Delfini   Emerging artists

My work is primarily figurative, rooted in a painting of life and sensation, of impression. Whether through a travel journal, a mural, or a scene of everyday life on canvas, I seek to capture the urgency of a moment: the sparkle of water, the light on a face, the atmosphere of a sleeping street. Raw emotion, seized in the moment, is my true subject. I enjoy playing with contrasts: the precision of drawing against the spontaneity of color, classical composition juxtaposed with a contemporary subject. This tension creates the essential dynamism of my vision.

My journey began with an exploration of landscapes. Those of my native south, in particular, shaped my appreciation for natural spaces—seas, mountains, fields, cliffs—their colors and structures. Through calm horizons, bathed in vibrant and meditative colors, the space invites contemplation and escape. These landscapes, sometimes real, sometimes imagined, are for me a way of translating subtle emotional states and atmospheres conducive to reflection. Underlying them is the theme of freedom, a concept deeply rooted in my being. The paintings invite us to break free from all temporal constraints, escaping to a world on the border between reality and dreams.

Gradually, fascinated by the richness of body language, I began to explore gestures, postures, and physical attitudes—all silent micro-expressions that tell stories, convey tensions, connections, solitude, and even introspection. My process aims to capture what cannot always be expressed in words: the states of awareness of the world. My subjects often evolve in timeless spaces where color transmits impressions and triggers a sensory resonance in the viewer.

I want the works to resemble open-ended visual narratives, where the viewer is invited to project their own perception and feelings. Far from imposing a single interpretation, I seek to create a space for dialogue that questions our relationships with others, with the world, and with ourselves. Through this process, I strive towards a quest: to grasp the essence of what connects human beings, beyond geographical, social, or cultural boundaries.