Our faces tell a story of their own. For artist Nicoletta Valler, telling those stories through intricate paintings has been a life mission.
Nicoletta Valler is a woman of many talents. She has been a makeup artist, photographer, digital graphics designer, and image consultant. But in all these professions, there has been one thing in common: a pursuit of artistic creativity. But instead of hindering each other, these professions have complimented each other in giving her a more nuanced understanding of art. According to Valler, each of these professions has also molded her into the artist she is.
As a painter, Nicoletta Valler’s primary focus has been the human face. She is famous for doing exquisite portraits of people both real and imaginary. Valler explains that doing portraits is a hard job because the face is going to remain fixed in the same state forever. As such, it is important to find the right expression that could draw both admiration and intrigue from the audience. Fortunately, her work as a make-up artist has allowed Valler to understand the nuanced intricacies of the human face. She could effortlessly paint the most beautiful of faces with expressions that could leave the viewers astounded. Valler uses both oil and acrylic paints, and sometimes a mix of both. Her experience as a graphic designer has also made her aware of the value digital art could add to a painting. Valler also says that she is inspired by Vincent Van Gogh when it comes to painting faces (curiously, she has also painted a portrait of the classical master).
In 2020, Nicoletta Valler was all set for her ambitious exhibition at the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Trento and Rovereto (MART). However, the COVID-19 pandemic struck, closing down all art features in Italy and across the world. Like many others, the pandemic was hard for Valler too. She confesses that the biggest setback was staying away from her loved ones for months. But like every dark cloud has a silver lining, Valler too found hope in the gloom. Even while she was suffering from depression, she found solace in art. The events of the pandemic propelled her to find a newfound sense of artistic pursuit. She immersed herself in art, painting every day and night. Between 2019-2020, she painted more than 40 works. Her works have been used in speech therapy, to astounding results.
Recently, Valler was part of a collective exhibition in Naples that honored the Italian poet and actor Massimo Troisi. Her scheduled exhibition at MART is also set to launch soon. She is also a part of a show that focuses on the fight against Cancer in Italy, to be held in Trento. She also has a successful career going on as a make-up artist. Nicoletta Valler has been like a phoenix, who rose from the ashes of the pandemic, stronger and brighter than ever before.
Nicoletta Valler lives in Rovereto, Italy with her husband and son. You can follow her on Instagram.