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Classically trained artist, NCAD (National College of Art & Design, Ireland) graduate, Chára Nagle has been acclaimed as one of Ireland’s greatest new talents. She was born to paint. Her style is Modern Romantic, bold and dramatic. Her witty, glamorous larger then life approach, mixed with her highly perceptive skills and her observation of people are portrayed in a unique and passionate way across all of her work. Think of artists Caravaggio (c1596-c1599) and Delacroix (c15 – c15) fused with Agent Provocateur!
Chára first started her formal art training at the age of 4. She then went on to spend 2 years studying Life Drawing at the Crawford College of Art. Chára had her hopes set on the National College of Art & Design, Dublin, a college her school in Cork told her would be almost impossible to get into. No one from her school had ever gotten in. This fuelled the start of a new steely determination to succeed. At 18 she accepted a place in NCAD, graduating in 1996 with a joint degree in Fine Art Sculpture and History of Art.
After spending some years in London, Chára returned to Dublin. There she set up her own design company working on 3 dimensional solutions with brands such as Marks & Spencer, BMW, MINI, Budweiser and Smirnoff. Coming up with solutions that portrayed the product and wooed the crowd. Paints, lights, customised sculpted props were the order of the day. Fine tuning with out realising her practice of making dramatic art.
Coming full circle Chára has accumulated her life experiences to commit and dedicate her time to her life long passion of painting. An unprecedented demand world wide has evolved for Chára’s paintings since her sell out solo exhibition Moments back in 2007.
Modern life is an important subject matter for Chára. The essence of Chára’s work reflects a deep understanding of a moment in time. She wishes to create an art which represents the time we live in. Her belief in the importance of the individual and individual experience is central to Chára’s art. Whether it is the photographer in On Location earnestly holding onto her hat in the wind or the lovable rogue who has just opened a bottle of champagne, Chára has spotted it and painted it.
There is consistently an element of intrigue and humour in her work. Her paintings capture the moment but do not give it all away. This is for the viewer to figure out: decide, question, wonder. The fact that Chára’s style is so life like, mixed with a vibrant use of colour and the conviction to paint textures so convincingly seem to almost cast a spell of wonder and question on the viewer.
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