Bio
Timothy Joseph Allen is an American professional painter who has been living and working in Rome, Italy for over twenty-five years. He began his career in 1992, earning a BA in Studio Art at DePauw University and an MFA in Painting at Indiana University, Bloomington in 1998. In 2010 he founded his own art school, PADASOR (acronym for the Painting And Drawing Art Studio Of Rome). He has also been teaching at The American University of Rome since 2006.
His medium is oil on canvas and his style and subject matter are principally inspired by the Renaissance and Baroque. Of special importance is painting from life: “Working from life brings urgency to my analysis, intuition, and performance. That’s what I enjoy most.”
In recent years his work has been pre-selected and/or selected in several international competitions including the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, the Mod Portrait competition at the MEAM museum in Barcelona, the Figurativas Painting and Sculpture Competition in Barcelona, the World Wide Kitsch online painting competition, and the BP National Gallery Portrait Competition in London.
Awards, Exhibitions, Lectures & Publications
- 2024, Publication, Decoding Caravaggio, Realism Today (realismtoday.com), article published in three parts:
Part I, October 8th, 2024;
Part II, October 16th, 2024;
Part III, October 23rd, 2024. - 2024, Lecture, Decoding Caravaggio: Bridging the Gap between Technical Analysis, Theory, and Performance, presented at PADASOR, Rome, Italy, (Wednesday, September 25th)
- 2024, Solo Exhibition, Evenings by the Sea, Tri-Mission gallery, U.S. Embassy Rome (September 5th to the 30th)
- 2024, Group Exhibition, Seeing Is Believing, Il Laboratorio, Trastevere, Rome, Italy (March 1st to the 3rd)
- 2022, Group Exhibition, Together We Art, Palazzo Velli, Trastevere, Rome, Italy (November 17th to the 19th)
- 2022, inaugurated into the Woodford County Public Schools Hall of Fame.
- 2021, selected for the Royal Society of Portrait Painters exhibition, London, England (May)
- 2021, longlisted in the Jackson’s Painting Prize, London, England (March)
- 2021, finalist in the international portrait competition ModPortrait 2020 with exhibitions in Zaragoza and Barcelona, Spain (March to July, 2021)
- 2020, Two-Person Exhibition, LightFall, Il Laboratorio, Trastevere, Rome, Italy (Sept 18th to the 20th)
- 2020, Lecture, Caravaggio & the Art of Subversion, presented to the “Vivere con Filosofia” club, Rome, Italy, February
- 2019, Lecture, Caravaggio & the Art of Subversion, presented to the Rotary Club of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
- 2019, Group Exhibition, Rome Salon – New Works from Figurative Painters in Rome, Sala Margana, Rome, Italy (May 17th to the 19th)
- 2019, Faculty Professional Development Award—The American University of Rome
- 2018, Lecture, Caravaggio & the Art of Subversion, presented to the Petra club, Noci, Puglia, Italy, December
- 2018, selected for the Oil Painters of America Eastern Regional exhibition
- 2018, pre-selected for the 2018 exhibition of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, London, England (February)
- 2017, Faculty Professional Development Award—The American University of Rome
- 2017, pre-selected for the 9th Figurativas Painting and Sculpture Competition 2017, Barcelona, Spain (June)
- 2016, selected for the second annual World Wide Kitsch online painting competition
- 2016, Open Studio exhibition, “The Night Watch – Paintings and Drawing by Timothy Joseph Allen”, Rome, Italy (May 21st to July 21st)
- 2015, selected for the first annual World Wide Kitsch online painting competition.
- 2015, pre-selected for the 2015 BP National Gallery Portrait Competition.
- 2014, Publication, The Nerdrum School, The Master and His Students, Hardcover: 256 pages. Publisher: Arvinius + Orfeus (May 31, 2014) Language: English. ISBN-10: 9187543044. ISBN-13: 978-9187543043
- 2013, Pre-Selected for the 7th Figurativas Painting and Sculpture Competition 2013, Barcelona, Spain (June)
- 2010, Faculty Professional Development Award—The American University of Rome
- 2009, Faculty Professional Development Award—The American University of Rome
- 2009, Group Exhibition, Painting—Arte PerOGGI, Il Museo Nazionale dell’Arte Alto Medioevo, Rome, Italy (March 6th – 15th, 2009)
- 2008, Solo Exhibition, Painting & Drawing—Eyes on the Summit, Zigaetana, Rome, Italy (April 7th – June 30th)
- 2008, Group Exhibition, Painting—Arte del Territorio – The Magician’s Assistant, Circolo degli Artisti, Rome, Italy (May 11th, 2008)
- 2008, Group Exhibition, Painting & Drawing—Arte del Territorio – Light & Eclisse, Circolo degli Artisti, Rome, Italy (March 9th)
- 2007, Faculty Professional Development Award—The American University of Rome
- 2007, Solo Exhibition, Drawing—The Anatomy of Light, Cafè Perù, Rome, Italy (October 13th – November 3rd)
- 2007, Group Exhibition, Painting—Identità: Espressioni a Pennello, Palazzo dei Congressi, Rome, Italy (October 5th – October 7th)
- 2007, Premio Arte PerOGGI, third edition—Identità: Espressioni a Pennello, Third Place Finalist
- 2007, Group Exhibition, Drawing—La Porta Blu Gallery, Rome, Italy
- 2006, Faculty Professional Development Award—The American University of Rome
- 2006, Group Exhibition, Drawing—La Porta Blu Gallery, Rome, Italy
- 2006, Group Exhibition, Painting—Egyptian Cultural Center, Rome, Italy
- 2006, Group Exhibition, Painting—Gallerie Benucci, Rome, Italy
- 2006, Premio Culturale Roma Centro Storico, First Edition—Competition Finalist
- 1998, Graduate Exhibition—Indiana University Museum of Art, Bloomington, Indiana
- 1998, Herman B. Wells Fellowship Award—John Waldron Art Center, Bloomington, Indiana
- 1996, “National Society of Arts and Letters”—John Waldron Art Center, Bloomington, Indiana
- 1994, Solo Exhibition—John Waldron Art Center, Bloomington, Indiana
- 1992, Emison Fellowship (recognition of the outstanding senior artist at DePauw)—DePauw University, Greencastle, Indiana
Work in Private Collections
- Australia: Sidney
- France: Dijon
- Italy: Genoa, Milan, Bari, Rome
- USA: Atlanta, Bloomington, Chicago, Cincinnati, Durango, Flagstaff, Lexington, Louisville, New York, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Antonio, Seattle, Versailles, Washington D.C.
Degrees
- 1996-1998, Masters in Fine Art, Painting—Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
Graduate studies included a summer in Florence, Italy - 1988-1992, Bachelor of Arts (Studio Art Major)—DePauw University, Greencastle, Indiana
Studies at DePauw University included:- 1990, Fall Semester—Great Lakes College Association, New York City
Internship with Hill Holiday Design Agency (Manhattan, New York) - 1991, Spring Semester—Temple University Rome Program, Rome, Italy
Studies in: Italian, Painting, Drawing, Sculpture and Art History.
- 1990, Fall Semester—Great Lakes College Association, New York City
Professional Development & Continuing Education
- 2016, November, workshop on indirect oil painting techniques with Charles Weed, Tuscany, Italy.
- 2015, October, plein air workshop with Julian Merrow-Smith, Provence, France.
- 2014, January, Master class with Odd Nerdrum, Roedvik gaard, Norway
Two weeks in the painting studio of Odd Nerdrum. - 2012, January, Master class with Velazquez, London, National Gallery
Made copies of two Velazquez paintings over a four-day period: Portrait of Charles IV and the Rokeby Venus. - 2010, January, Master class with Odd Nerdrum, Roedvik gaard, Norway
Three weeks in the painting studio of Odd Nerdrum. - 1993-1996, School for Continuing Studies—Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
Italian Studies: Conversation and Grammar, Literature, Poetry (Il Decadentismo) and History of Italian Cinema.
Current Teaching and Work Experiences
- 2018, January to Present, Renaissance Retreat in Italy—Rome, Italy
Founder and Director - 2010, February to Present, PADASOR – the Painting & Drawing Art Studio of Rome—Rome, Italy
Founder and Director - 2006, September to Present, The American University of Rome—Rome, Italy
Adjunct Faculty. Courses taught include:- Drawing I – Fine Arts Program
- Drawing II – Fine Arts Program
- Drawing Workshop – Fine Arts Program
- European Sketchbook: Venice – Fine Arts Program
- Figure Drawing – Fine Arts Program
- Painting I – Fine Arts Program
- Painting II – Fine Arts Program
- Painting Workshop – Fine Arts Program
- Senior Capstone Projects – Fine Arts Program
- Intermediate Drawing – Fine Art Program
- Rome Sketchbook – Fine Arts Program
- Art of Rome – Art History Program
- Web Graphics, Coding and Site Design – Communication and English Program
- Senior Capstone Projects – Communication and English Program
Past Teaching Experiences
- 2016, February, School of Visual Arts Rome Program—Rome, Italy
Instructor for three-hour drawing workshop in Centrale Montemartini - 2012, February, Kent State—Rome, Italy
Guest Lecturer on the Forum and the Colosseum - 2006, March, Penn State University—Rome, Italy
Guest Lecturer on two subjects:- On-site discussion of the Vatican and the construction of St. Peter’s Basilica;
- Website workshop with a focus on image optimization and the creation of web galleries.
- 2004 – 2005, Accademia dell’Illustrazione—Rome, Italy
Instructor for “Flash for Illustrators” with a focus on using Macromedia Flash MX as a tool to animate illustrations created in Illustrator. - 1999, European School of Economics—Rome, Italy
Taught Advanced courses in English as a Foreign Language. - 1999, Istituto Multilingue—Rome, Italy
Taught Individual and Group courses in English as a foreign language with a focus on speaking and listening proficiency. - 1997-1998, Indiana University—Bloomington, Indiana
Associate Instructor for courses in “Drawing, Color Theory, Painting, and Sculpture.”
Life
- 1998-Present—Rome, Italy
- 1992-1998—Bloomington, Indiana
- 1988-1992—Greencastle, Indiana
- 1979-1988—Versailles, Kentucky
- 1971-1979—Nashville, Tennessee
- 1970-1971—Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Born 1970 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.