Carl Melegari

Carl Melegari was born in 1958 in Denbigh, North Wales, and studied for a Fine Art degree in Bristol, where he is now based. He went on to lecture in Visual Studies at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David for many years alongside his own painting practice.

His work is built around the human form, rendered in a semi-abstract style that leans on the physicality of paint itself — dense pigment, liberal application, and layered surfaces that give each figure real textural depth. He typically works from a muted, near-monochromatic palette, out of which vivid knots and smears of colour emerge around the sitter's face and form.

Working from life and from studio models, Melegari is less interested in likeness than in the personality and inner life of the subject — figures caught in isolated, contemplative moments, whether in urban settings or stripped back entirely. His work has been exhibited extensively across London, Manchester, Cardiff, the South West and North America, and he has shown regularly with Ffin y Parc Gallery since 2021.

At Dane Manor Fine Art, his collection includes Gabriel, Vequaniel, Angelo Scilla and Angelo Tommaso — contemplative figure studies in his signature textured style.

More from Carl Melegari: Gabriel · Vequaniel · Angelo Scilla · Angelo Tommaso