Untitled (From The Religious Intoxication Series)

As an alumni of Michael John Angel Studios (Florence), a fine art school dedicated to the Old Master tradition of portraiture of the Italian Renaissance, and heavily influenced by famous fresco and portrait painter Pietro Annigoni, it is no surprise that Shaun Downey has already seen his work hanging in the National Portrait Gallery in London for the BP Portrait award in 2010. Painting meticulous and well thought-out combinations of traditional Italian realism mixed with raw, relatable, and introspective modern subjects, Downey has a talent for capturing the banality and emptiness of many everyday lived experiences.

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In the Religious Intoxication series, Downey speaks to the abundance of religious subject matter in art history’s past. Yet through the rendering of contemporary individuals, he questions the “intoxication” of our over-indulgent society. His thoughtful subjects invite you into a realm of figuration that borders the mystical with the strangely familiar.

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Most recently an artist in residence for the Robert McLaughlin Gallery in his hometown of Oshawa, Ontario, Downey has continued to dedicate himself wholly to his practice since his first show in 2003.