Khaled Matar

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Khaled Matar

Aged 20

Florence Academy of Art

Instructor(s): Nicholas Chaundy FAA, Karl Wennergren SARA

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  • Artworks

I ripped the key from around my neck

Chalk and charcoal on toned paper

15 1/2 x 11 3/4 ins (40 x 30 cms)

Portrait of Nicu

Chalk and charcoal on toned paper

15 1/2 x 15 1/2 ins (40 x 40 cms)

The Sleeping Maiden

Chalk and charcoal on toned paper

23 1/2 x 31 1/4 ins (60 x 80 cms)

Belvedere Torso Bargue Mastercopy

charcoal on white paper

15 1/2 x 11 3/4 ins (40 x 30 cms)

Sandra

Charcoal on white paper

65 x 30 ins (165.1 x 76.2 cms)

Nostalgia

Chalk and charcoal on toned paper

11 3/4 x 13 3/4 ins (30 x 35 cms)

My first cast

Charcoal on white paper

15 1/2 x 15 1/2 ins (40 x 40 cms)

Beethoven Mask

Charcoal on white paper

17 1/2 x 17 1/2 ins (45 x 45 cms)

Icarus Still Life

Oil paint on canvas

15 1/2 x 19 1/2 ins (40 x 50 cms)

Luna

Oil paint on canvas

19 1/2 x 15 1/2 ins (50 x 40 cms)

Spring

Graphite on white paper

8 1/4 x 11 1/4 ins (21 x 29 cms)

Holy Grail

Oil paint on canvas

31 1/4 x 23 1/2 ins (80 x 60 cms)

Destiny Star

Oil paint on wood panel

7 3/4 x 15 1/2 ins (20 x 40 cms)

My ambition as a painter is to be able to create works of similar quality as the works of the old masters both subject-wise and technique-wise. I've always been fascinated by archetypal themes and the hero myth, and this fascination of mine is one of the primary reasons why I'm striving to articulate these themes in a visual context.

To be able to achieve this I believe the Florence Academy of Art is the place where I have to study. I believe that there are some fundamental insights to be gained through various visual experiences and visual exercises. I'm also more of a visual thinker than a verbal thinker and that's why I would like to develop my visual side so that I can represent my ideas and concepts most faithfully.

I will continue to sketch and plan small personal projects in my free time from the academy, so I can keep the "spark" alive.

After finishing my studies at FAA, I plan to study at various workshops with the masters I admire. I would love to travel and see the world, get inspired by its beauty, and visit some of my favorite painters to observe and study their technique, composition, historical context, etc. I would also love to start painting big.

I had in the past some opportunities to teach a couple of students the little things I know and I learned a lot from those experiences, so, maybe I will also become a teacher if I will be able to.

My name is Khaled Matar. I was born on 5 October 2001 in Romania, Iasi.

Like most children, I liked to paint and draw, but in the 9th grade when I went to an art high school, I started to take it more seriously and consider pursuing art as a career. Starting then, I have trained almost every day to become better at this craft.

Since that high school was focused more on modern art, It did not teach me pretty much and I started to learn on my own what interested me, figurative realist art. In 2019 I won the 3rd prize and an honorable mention at ARC Salon The Da Vinci Initiative, which motivated me a lot and convinced me that this is the right path to pursue.

After finishing high school, I was accepted at The Swedish Academy of Realist Art, and then I studied there for one year. During that period, I was a finalist in the ARC Salon, I received an Honorable Mention at the Portrait Society of America, I was a finalist in PortraitNow!2021 and I exhibited one drawing at the Frederiksborg Castle in Denmark. In May, I won the Florence Academy of Art summer scholarship. That summer at the FAA was the best learning experience I have ever had, and this convinced me to return home for one year to save up money to continue my academic training there.

Unfortunately, this did not work out very well because of outside circumstances, but still, I hope that somehow I will be able to afford to get there and finish my academic studies. I applied this spring and got accepted to study full-time at the Florence Academy of Art in the fall of 2022.

This scholarship will help me continue learning the craft I love and will lift some of the financial pressure off me and my parents.