Mauro Chiarla

Mauro Chiarla was born in Italy in 1949, where he resided until he was eight. Economic hardship following World War 2 made life especially tough for Chiarla's family in Italy, so they immigrated to South Africa in 1957 to start a new life. Chiarla has been in Johannesburg ever since.

Chiarla's deep love of fine art first emerged at primary school, where he discovered a lifelong passion for painting and sketching. Although never formally schooled in art, Chiarla was always a humble yet exceptionally talented artist. Working from his home studio, he began selling his works in the local art in the Park events at Zoo Lake before being discovered more than 25 years ago.

Regarding his artistic influences, it is safe to say that the Impressionists, Post-Impressionists and Expressionists, particularly their use of light and colour, have had the most significant impact on Chiarla. Matisse, Cézanne, Monet and Manet from the European stable and in South Africa, G. Goodman, Hugo Naudé and Titto Fasciciotti were also significant influences.

However, the most significant influences on Chiarla were the scenes he captured and the interaction of people in the scenery – the colours, attitudes and movement.

Chiarla used oil pastels, acrylics, and oil paints as the primary media for his works on paper, board, and canvas. Chiarla sadly passed away in 2022 after a short illness.