Daniela Meza Sigala: Florence Artist's Seriously Whimsical Paintings

The artist with her daughter.

My April trip to Italy was rewarding on so many levels. Most everyone who goes to Florence talks about the history, the food and the art museums. In addition to the incredible art galleries like the Uffizi, Bargello and Palazzo Pitti, there are also numerous contemporary artists who have chosen to make Florence their home. Daniela Meza Sigala is one of these. 

Daniela is an Italian Chilean, who studied Humanities and Arts in the University of Concepcion in Chile. In 1991 Daniela won a scholarship from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, giving her the opportunity to follow a post-graduate course at the Academy of Fine Arts here in Florence. From here she then went on to study the art of decoration of ceramics in the Montelupo Fiorentino Pottery School. She also studied gilding, frame and furniture restoration and the art of engraving.

It was 1995 when she moved decisively to Florence, in Tuscany, to she set up her own studio in Via dei Servi. This is where I discovered her work while exploring streets in the vicinity of the Duomo. When I stopped in I was told that she is preparing for a show in another part of Europe.

A small booklet I purchased as a memento from our visit.

Daniela's previous series focused on solarized and iconic Florentine churches. Her current series of works features stylized silhouettes of women with eccentric hats and chromatic dresses placed in dreamy atmospheres, always playing a leading role on solitary stages. The booklet goes on to describe her current paintings this way:

 

The background is filled and thick with color, on a flat surface of a panel, though contiguous to highly tactile surfaces, often engraved by elegant undulating lines, which are able to create refined luminist details.

The ancient secessionist echoes, evoked by a skillful use of the gold foil, are now filled with modern fauve accents. Daniela’s pale or amber-coloured “women” are universal, and evoke, with a single gesture, thanks to a sapid detail or the choice of a dress, a womanliness that is never ordinary.

Here are a few more photos I took inside her storefront. You can see more of her work on her website at https://danielamezasigala.blogspot.com/

 

For links to more blog posts about my April trip to Italy, visit:

Stories about My Italy Adventure