The Classroom · Darla Barolini

Opening Reception Friday, March 6, 6–9 PM
On view Saturdays, 1–5 PM
March 6–April 11

My current body of work consists of large-scale figurative paintings depicting imagined classroom scenes rooted in my experiences teaching at both the high school and college level. The figures are not portraits, but composites formed through memory, emotional observation, and visual references drawn from film, comics, and occasional student models. These sources allow me to explore the emotional atmosphere of learning spaces rather than document them literally.

In this work, the classroom reflects contemporary life as a space where connection and isolation, focus and distraction, vulnerability and resilience coexist. By combining moments of figurative realism with expressive, intuitive mark-making, I prioritize psychological truth over strict accuracy. The classroom becomes a symbolic site capable of holding multiple emotional interpretations.

For me, painting functions much like teaching: it is an act of listening, attention, and response. Rather than recording reality, I use imagined scenes and moments of tension or stillness to consider how individuals navigate shared spaces and how emotional lives unfold within institutional structures. Ultimately, I hope these paintings invite viewers to reflect not only on how we learn, but on what it feels like to be seen while doing so.

Darla Barolini is a figurative painter born in New York City to immigrant parents who arrived in the United States later in life. From an early age, she was immersed in the visual cultures of her family through travel and visits, shaping her artistic sensibility. Her work draws inspiration from traditional Italian portraiture and figurative painting, alongside the vibrant color and expressive energy of Brazilian mural art.

Barolini’s practice centers on people and the human form, with a particular focus on faces and subtle expressions. She often paints individuals she knows or encounters, blending observation and imagination to create works that explore connection, presence, and the complexity of human interaction.

She earned her Master of Fine Arts in Painting from the New York Academy of Art in 2017. Barolini is currently a visual artist and educator based in Houston, Texas, where she serves as a full-time faculty member and gallery coordinator at Houston City College.

Website: www.darlabarolini.com

Instagram: @darlanorma