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Overview
John Tarahteeff is known for classically rendered compositions that challenge viewers' perceptions through plays of scale, unusual lighting, and the underlying psychological tension between innocence and knowledge. He pushes the boundaries of what is possible in figurative painting with a masterful use of acrylic on canvas. Tarahteeff creates set dramas that play out in deep undercurrents of the imagination. In his paintings, the moment is defined more by multiple potential meanings, suspended mid-action.
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WorksVideoBiography
"I abandoned illustrating the world in favor of following some mysterious subtext that emerges as the painting develops. I am lead by quirky impulses to exaggerate color, or play with scale, in a way which often undermines the realism of the image, but ultimately leads to discoveries as the painting finds new improbable resolutions of form and content." - John Tarahteeff
John Tarahteeff is known for classically rendered compositions that challenge viewers' perceptions through plays of scale, unusual lighting, and the underlying psychological tension between innocence and knowledge. He pushes the boundaries of what is possible in figurative painting with a masterful use of acrylic on canvas. Tarahteeff creates set dramas that play out in deep undercurrents of the imagination. In his paintings, the moment is defined more by multiple potential meanings, suspended mid-action.
John Tarahteeff was born in 1972 and raised in Santa Clara, California. He studied art at the University of California at Davis and continues to live in Northern California. His paintings have been featured on the cover of American Art Collector Magazine, and his work is in countless private collections. He has had numerous solo and group exhibitions and has been represented by Nüart Gallery for over a decade.Exhibitions-
Santa Fe | John Tarahteeff | Beckoning
23 Aug - 14 Sep 2024(SANTA FE, NM) Nüart Gallery presents “ Beckoning, ” a solo exhibition featuring new work by John Tarahteeff. The exhibition will run August 23 rd through September 14 th 2024...Read more -
Grand Opening | Nüart Gallery | Santa Monica | "In Principio"
2 - 30 Mar 2024Nüart Gallery proudly announces its inaugural exhibition at their newest outpost located at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica with a group show of select paintings. The exhibition will run from...Read more -
Daniel Phill + John Tarahteeff
Nascent 21 Jul - 6 Aug 2023In "Nascent," Daniel Phill & John Tarahteeff exhibit their continuous evolution in exploring the affecting essence of nature, the suspended theater of human emotions, and the boundless realms of imaginative representation. These deftly shaped compositions enunciate both artist’s inventive approach to distinct landscape and narrative intention. Through matured, palpable mark-making and enchantingly profound storytelling, each artist enlivens perceptual objectivity and displays an expanding vision of the world.Read more -
R-E-D
A Group Exhibition 10 - 19 Feb 2023Nüart Gallery is excited to announce the opening of ' R-E-D,' a Valentine's Day exhibition featuring a curated collection of paintings that celebrate the color red and its connection to...Read more -
John Tarahteeff + Willy Bo Richardson
The Lyrical + Conceptual Dance 2 - 18 Sep 2022Nüart Gallery presents 'The Lyrical and Conceptual Dance,' a duo exhibition featuring new work by John Tarahteeff and Willy Bo Richardson. The show features work unmistakingly unique, where two well-defined...Read more -
Claire B. Cotts + John Tarahteeff
Layers 10 - 26 Sep 2021Join Nuart Gallery for Layers— a group exhibition featuring new works by John Tarahteeff and Claire B. Cotts — two artists who offer contrast between figurative and abstract work, but...Read more -
John Tarahteeff
Someday 18 Sep - 4 Oct 2020Nüart Gallery presents a solo exhibition of new paintings by John Tarahteeff. The exhibition will run September 18th through October 4th, 2020. John Tarahteeff is known for classically rendered...Read more -
Figurations Group Exhibition 2019
Michael Bergt, Erin Cone, Matthias Brandes & John Tarahteeff 9 - 25 Aug 2019Join Nüart Gallery for an exhibition of work by four painters, each with a contemporary take on the ancient practice of figurative representation. Working in oil, acrylic, egg tempera, and...Read more -
John Tarahteeff
Placeholder 21 Sep - 7 Oct 2018In this exhibition, Placeholder, Tarahteeff creates set dramas that play out in deep undercurrents of the imagination. In his paintings, the moment is defined more by multiple potential meanings than by any plausible narrative. His situations are unresolved and suspended mid-action. There almost seems to be a code-- a placeholder embedded in the authenticity of the paintings-- that makes Tarahteeff’s work so very compelling.Read more -
John Tarahteeff
Vestiges 10 - 26 Nov 2017John Tarahteeff’s works are striking figurative paintings that present succinct compositions, unusual lighting, and subtle undercurrents of psychological turbulence. His figures are placid, but the emotional subtext is palpable. In...Read more -
John Tarahteeff
the one that got away 21 Oct - 6 Nov 2016J ohn Tarahteeff is known for his probing figurative paintings that infuse realism with intriguin g emotional states. His acrylic paintings use tight composition, pale lighting, and plays of scale...Read more -
John Tarahteeff
lands end 26 Jun - 12 Jul 2015John Tarahteeff’s latest exhibition is titled Lands End. The setting in a liminal place where the land and sea meet, serve as a trope to depict an atmosphere of transition...Read more -
figurations III
VINCENZO CALLI | ALBERTO GALVEZ | JOHN TARAHTEEFF | CAROL MOTHNER | MICHAEL BERGT | JAMES TYLER 7 Nov - 7 Dec 2014opening reception > friday | november 7th | 5 - 7 pmRead more -
John Tarahteeff
undertow 21 Jun - 7 Jul 2013In this solo exhibition, Tarahteeff explores the idea of the place where mysterious and potentially dangerous emotional undercurrents pull against the seemingly innocent imagery that his paintings portray. His paintings...Read more -
figurations II
JOHN TARAHTEEFF | MICHAEL BERGT | VINCENZO CALLI | ALBERTO GALVEZ 21 Dec 2012 - 6 Jan 2013Figurations draws together four internationally known artists from Europe and the United States to explore various thematic elements of the figurative tradition. opening reception > friday | December 21st |...Read more