Painter from diocesan community returns to Greater Cincinnati to show his works and efforts after Florence art academy

Maura Baker

Staff Writer

“Persone e Paesaggi” — an Italian title translated loosely in English to “People and Places” — was the name chosen for an exhibition of art by painter Daniel Zalla, currently on display at the Art Gallery on the campus of Xavier University, Cincinnati.

Mr. Zalla grew up in the Diocese of Covington, having graduated from Covington Latin School in 2016. Following, he pursued his first degree at Xavier University before continuing his education at the Florence Academy of Art in Italy. Open through the first week of October, the exhibition is free and open to the public Wednesday through Friday.

The exhibition itself is, “in a big way,” according to the artist, a record of the ending of a chapter of Mr. Zalla’s artistic career. This chapter, which has been characterized by “training, practicing, learning proportion and training the eye” has culminated into this show, which features charcoal drawings, oil paintings and a sculpture displayed roughly chronologically in the gallery hall.

“I’ve done this big body of work the last five years in Florence,” Mr. Zalla told the <<Messenger>>, “and I wanted something to show for it. There are a few galleries locally … but I liked the idea of being at Xavier … so it was a little bit like coming full circle, because right before I left for Florence, I had my show for my senior thesis there.”

The title, “Persone e Paesaggi,” comes from the subjects of the past five years of training Mr. Zalla undertook — with subjects ranging primarily between landscapes and portraiture. The exhibition “takes the viewer through some of the big projects” that Mr. Zalla made at the Florence Academy, and ending with his most recent commission — a large-scale painting done for St. Joseph Parish, Crescent Springs, featuring St. Joseph and Jesus in a carpentry workshop. This is the second commission that Mr. Zalla has completed for a diocesan parish, with a previous piece done of St. Augustine for his namesake parish in Covington, which is also on display at the Xavier University gallery.

Moving forward, Mr. Zalla’s art focus aims to shift to more emotional compositions, as the young artist has recently accepted a fellowship in Seattle, Washington — where he will be moving at the beginning of the next year.

The residency program, called the Seattle Prize, has Mr. Zalla working in a studio space with six other classically trained painters working loosely under the theme “transcendent re-humanism” — which focuses on bringing humanity, healing and human connection into artwork. As Mr. Zalla describes, it is the “truth of living a human life, as far as emotions that everyone can relate to.”

Mr. Zalla thanks his family, who supported him throughout his journey and working towards the exhibition, calling them “extremely supportive.”

“I’m grateful for them,” he said, “and also for the show.”