Mark Maggiori

Missy Stephenson
Feb 16, 2025
2 min read

note: in case he sounds familiar, this is the artist I was planning to blog about last time, but I opted for a more abstract one. However, he is similar to Kevin Chupik in the sense that he makes western-oriented art.

Born in France in 1977, Mark Maggiori is a contemporary artist whose work mainly focuses on the landscapes of the American West. Though he did not begin painting in this style until 2017, he was inspired by a month-long road trip he took across the United States at the age of 15. He also work as a musician, music video director, and graphic designer.

This painting depicts wild horses by Arizona's Vermillion Cliffs at sunset. Something that stands out to me about this one is how realistically the dust kicked up by the horses is painted. Considering it was painted with oil and not another drier material, I imagine a lot of blending and attention to how it affects the color of the horses’ coats/landscape was required.

This piece, a lone cowboy looking over a valley full of hoodoos, clearly shows what I think differs Maggiori from the typical realism-focused oil painter—the cinematic look. Despite it being nighttime and the only light source being an (implied) full moon, the sweeping landscape is vividly colored.

Another example of the cinematic inspiration, this piece has a very dramatic angle, juxtaposing the two cowboys in the front against brightly-lit billowing clouds in the background. The stormclouds and deep, warm tones create an almost ominous, foreboding feel to it.

Maggiori is definitely one of the most detailed artists I’ve come across, and I find his style beautiful. He combines the realism and contrast found in classical art with the vivid, saturated colors found in contemporary art, while keeping a vintage-ish theme as if they’re shots from a modern western movie.