Amalia Maciuca
The Art of Seeing: Amalia Maciuca’s Journey Through Portraiture and Empathy
Born in a small town in Romania in 1991, Amalia Maciuca did not grow up in an environment where art and literature were deeply valued. However, she found her way to them—through teachers, through books, and most importantly, through the encouragement of her father, who took her creativity seriously from the very beginning. Unlike most children who outgrow scribbling on walls, Maciuca’s artistic impulses were nurtured. Her father enrolled her in painting classes for young artists, marking the first step in what would become a lifelong pursuit.
Although she had hoped to attend an art-focused high school, her parents had different plans. Instead, she studied English literature before eventually finding her way to the University of Art, where she completed a degree in Conservation and Restoration. The field was not her passion at the time, but she now recognizes its profound impact on her technique. Restoration required her to study the great masters—not just copying their works, but understanding their materials, their brushwork, their methods of layering color and light. This rigorous technical training became an unexpected foundation for her own artistic language.
Today, Maciuca is expanding her practice beyond traditional painting, currently pursuing a Master's in Art in Public Spheres in Lucerne, Switzerland. She is stepping outside the realm of the canvas, learning to interact with public spaces and institutions. But despite this exploration, she sees it as an experiment—her true home is still in 2D images, a medium she always returns to, no matter how much others push her toward interdisciplinary work.
A Portraitist of the Unheard
Maciuca’s work is figurative and deeply personal. Her paintings and drawings revolve around the people she meets, those whose stories are often left untold. She is not interested in simple reproduction; instead, she transforms what she sees, adding a sense of the magical or surreal to heighten the emotional presence of her subjects.
Two recurring themes define her work:
Love, which is central to her Liov series of drawings, an ongoing project that brings her immense joy. Though love is one of the most explored subjects in art, she believes it remains one of the most powerful and universal forces—the source of both beauty and pain.
Empathy, which is at the heart of her latest project, The New Testament of the Underdogs. This series grapples with a fundamental question: What does it mean to be kind in today’s world? Through portraiture, she explores how modern society often confuses kindness with niceness, and how genuine empathy struggles to shine through in a world dominated by social media and artificial interaction.
Her inspiration does not come from grand, well-known figures but from the everyday people she encounters—people whose stories deserve to be seen and heard.
Finding Influence, Finding Voice
Among her artistic influences, Zdzisław Beksiński remains an untouchable icon—a source of admiration rather than direct inspiration. His haunting, intricate worlds stand apart, something she feels she could never replicate. However, Alyssa Monks and Kehinde Wiley represent the level of technical mastery she strives for in her work.
Beyond visual art, literature also plays a crucial role in shaping her perspective. Recently, Elena Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend has helped clarify her artistic direction, offering insights into human relationships and personal transformation that resonate deeply with her own creative themes.
Maciuca acknowledges the inevitable periods of artistic block, but she does not force herself to work on large-scale paintings when inspiration fades. Instead, she retreats into her sketchbook, using it as a space to experiment and recharge until she is ready to return to the canvas.
Defining Success and Staying True
For Maciuca, success as an artist is not just about technical skill—it is about the strength of the message behind the work. She has seen many artists abandon their true stories in pursuit of what they think will sell, but she believes that while this approach may bring commercial success, it does not create great art. Greatness comes from honesty, from an artist’s willingness to stay true to their voice.
"I have been doing this long enough to know that it does not matter how you do it, but the story behind it."
This conviction drives her forward. Her goal is simple but profound: to ask questions. To challenge viewers to think about empathy, kindness, and the overlooked narratives of others.
Collaboration and Future Directions
Though primarily a painter and draughtswoman, Maciuca values collaboration across disciplines. In past projects, she has worked with photographers to capture compelling references for her portraits, but she is eager to expand further—particularly into digital art collaborations.
Her current focus remains on expanding the Liov series and completing The New Testament of the Underdogs, both of which align with her artistic goal of exploring human connection in an era that often feels disconnected.
She feels fortunate to live in a beautiful country where she can dedicate herself fully to art. Her decision not to have children has also given her the freedom to explore and immerse herself completely in her creative process. However, she acknowledges the need for balance—sometimes stepping away from the studio allows for a fresh perspective when she returns.
Her advice to young artists?
"Patience. It takes time. It takes time to learn the basics, to filter them through your own vision, and to find something that makes your work different."
