Wednesday, November 13, 2024
PHOTO: Michael Rose
Providence artist Matthew Napoli is multi-talented. A painter, professor, and curator, he is active on the local art scene in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. He balances responsibilities as an educator with an active creative practice of his own. In his studio on the East Side, he creates probing artworks filled with symbolism and mystery that demand attention.
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Originally from Houston, Texas, Napoli initially studied art at San Jacinto College before earning his BFA at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. He went on to complete a residency at the New York Academy of Art before earning his Master’s Degree at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, where he was a Graduate Teaching Fellow. Although a young artist, he already has a lot of achievements under his belt. In addition to his education, he was a finalist for the AXA Art Prize in 2022, earned a grant from the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation in 2023, and was a resident at Chautauqua Visual Arts in 2024. He has cultivated a space for himself in the art community.
PHOTO: Michael Rose
Asked what it is like to be a Texan transplanted into the Rhode Island scene, Napoli answers, “Experiencing Rhode Island with outsiders’ eyes keeps me consistently fired up creatively. It seems that many people consider Texas to be the total opposite of New England. I find so much fascination and enjoyment in their differences– and the constant, overwhelming similarities.”
An artist who is in the early stages of an exciting career, Napoli teaches in addition to making his own work. He is currently an Adjunct Professor at Bristol Community College and gained prior experience teaching at UMass Dartmouth as well as at Newport Art Museum. He has been invited to speak to students of Brown and RISD, as well as the State University of New York, and the University of Texas, among others. He is clearly enthusiastic about sharing his depth of expertise with young artists.
PHOTO: Michael Rose
Napoli’s well-made paintings are rich in metaphor. Some of the elements that appear have broad resonance, while others are deeply connected to the artist’s own language and experience. Of his use of symbolism, the painter says, “I often depict objects which represent tension, restraint, or the threat of separation. Scissors indicate our ability to make change and the possibility of harm in misuse. Chains suggest being held back or bound. I hope that viewers find these feelings relevant to our cultural climate of separation, and remind us of our responsibility to use our tools and abilities in caring ways.”
Recent exhibitions have seen Napoli’s paintings on view at venues like the Bristol Art Museum, the Worcester Art Museum, Abigail Ogilvy Gallery, and the Fall River Arts and Culture Coalition’s Ignition Space. In addition to his practice as a painter and exhibitor, Napoli is also interested in shaping art experiences as a curator. In 2024 he organized True Ecology, a compelling group exhibition at East Manning Projects in Providence, and previously curated two student exhibitions at the Maryland Institute College of Art.
PHOTO: Michael Rose
In November, Napoli and his friend and fellow artist Julia Gould will be the subject of a two-person exhibition titled Burning, Growing at Gallery 263 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The show will run from November 14 – December 9 and will include an artist talk on November 16 and a closing reception on December 6. Gould’s work, like Napoli’s, deals in a rich symbolic lexicon and their show promises to be an engaging artistic matchup. It will also allow visitors to see paintings by these contemporaries in conversation with one another.
Summing up what his work is about, Napoli points to the idea of care. The artist is planning a new body of work that builds upon this and what he has been creating thus far. He says, “At its lowest level, my artwork is concerned with caring. I want to continue making work which examines disordered or absent care, but with an increased focus on successful care as it is visible in our environment, society, and personal self-care. My goal for 2025 is to make an entirely new and distinct series of works bearing this in mind.”
PHOTO: Michael Rose
Napoli is a contemporary artist with vision and passion. From the underlying meanings that can be found in something like a flame or a link of chain, to the importance of care and the natural world, he is exploring a variety of aesthetic experiences. In his work, he is breathing life into the tradition of representational painting with curiosity and intellect. In upcoming exhibitions and new bodies of work, it will be enjoyable to follow the career of this Providence-based talent.
Learn more about Matthew Napoli at www.matthewjnapoli.com and follow his studio practice on Instagram at @matthewjnapoli.
Michael Rose is a multi-talented fine art professional based in Southern New England. Since 2014 he has served as the gallery manager at the historic Providence Art Club, one of the nation’s oldest arts organizations. Through his current freelance work he advises collectors and artists, provides appraisal services, teaches, and completes curatorial projects.
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