Painter Matheus Matias was born in 1995 in the rural area of Bananeiras, a town located 127 kilometers from João Pessoa, in the state of Paraíba, Brazil.

Deaf, nonverbal, and living with progressive vision loss, he has a rare genetic condition that has made painting his primary form of expression.

His paintings on canvas and roof tiles are part of collections belonging to Naïve Art collectors from various parts of Brazil and have been featured in group exhibitions. At one of these, he received the award for Best Painter of the Exhibition

His work caught the attention of art enthusiasts—such as Zenóbio Toscano, the then-mayor of the nearby city of Guarabira—who, together with an Argentine art instructor, invited Matheus to visit a gallery once a week, where paints, brushes, and canvases were at his disposal.

This encouragement was one of the forms of recognition that led Matheus to establish himself as an artist.

A prolific artist, he never studied painting. While still a teenager, Matheus covered the walls of the three-room house where he lives with his family with floral, nature, and sacred art motifs, and has signed hundreds of works in acrylic on canvas and roof tiles.