Henry Catenacci Studio

12/05/2025

This painting is complete, and now hanging on the wall to dry.

Henry Catenacci
Le nove muse (The Nine Muses), 2025
Oil on Panel
16 in. x 12 in.

“A cheerful life is what the Muses love.
A soaring spirit is their prime delight.”
- Wordsworth

www.HenryCatenacci.com

11/22/2025

https://medium.com//real-illusions-2025-london-contemporary-art-review-exhibition-12ebe3898775

11/03/2025

Il letto dei viole has won the People's Choice Award for "Dark," NOMA Gallery's International Competition.

10/25/2025

Curator Emma Taylor of the NAT Gallery in London has put together a beautifully written article about my work for the online magazine Medium.com. Thank you Emma!

https://medium.com//from-realism-to-surrealism-henry-catenaccis-symbolism-of-the-soul-and-the-eternal-quest-de86387556f8

By Curator Emma Taylor

10/24/2025

10/07/2025

Well, that was a lot of work, but I think I have all of the tones and lighting effects correct on this painting. (As you can see, I’m playing with light a great deal here.) Next: many glazes of color!

Le nove muse (The Nine Muses)
Work in Progress, Grisaille
Oil on Panel
16 in. x 12 in.

www.HenryCatenacci.com

10/02/2025

BED OF VIOLETS has been submitted for a competition at NOMA Gallery.

The theme of the competition is “DARK,” so this painting seems fitting.

The winner is chosen by a jury, but there is also a People’s Choice award that is open to public voting from October 2 to October 23.

If you would like to cast your vote for BED OF VIOLETS for the People’s Choice award, please go here:

https://nomaocala.com/dark.

Thank you!

09/06/2025

Varnished, framed, and ready for the Uffizi! (ha. ha.)

Il letto dei viole, 2024
Oil on Panel
12 in. x 12 in.

www.HenryCatenacci.com
www.NineMusesArt.com

07/23/2025

Just finished this painting.

La visitazione (The Visitation), 2025
Oil on Panel
16 in. x 20 in.

“Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul.”
- Emily Dickinson

www.HenryCatenacci.com
www.NineMusesArt.com

05/12/2025

Here is one hour of painting condensed into 30 seconds. I’m working on the grisaille layer of this painting, so I’m using just black and white with a slight tint of blue. Making it up as I go, I want to get all of the tones correct in black and white first. Then I’ll add color in later layers.

Le nove muse (The Nine Muses)
Work in Progress, Grisaille
Oil on Panel
16 in. x 12 in.

www.HenryCatenacci.com
www.NineMusesArt.com

04/24/2025

Chiaroscuro, baby! Here is the finished grisaille layer for this painting. You can see how the underpainting and the grisaille layer work together to heighten the three-dimensionality of the images. The underpainting adds depth, and the grisaille adds volume (often literally, with the use of impasto on the bird and skeleton). Once this dries, I’ll continue with multiple thin layers of color glazes.

La visitazione (The Visitation)
Work in Progress, Grisaille
Oil on Panel
16 in. x 20 in.

www.HenryCatenacci.com
www.NineMusesArt.com

02/23/2025

Another second underpainting finished here. Next comes the Grisaille layer, where I’ll begin working on the sky.

Le nove muse (The Nine Muses)
Work in Progress, Second Underpainting
Oil on Panel
16 in. x 12 in.

www.HenryCatenacci.com
www.NineMusesArt.com