Inspired by the work of painters of the Golden Age.
I plunge into the heart of Flemish skies whose reality I try to sacralize by playing with the characteristic forms of the clouds and the refraction of light.
Flemish Light is a personal work where I bring together the originality of my approach: observation. historical inspiration. documentary research. technical experimentation. quest for simplicity and graphic expression.
This series finds its source in the admiration that I carry to the painters of the 17th century of the former “United Provinces'. Beginning to work outside. the Jacob Van Ruisdael. Adriaen Van De Velde and Rembrandt Van Rijn revolutionized Flemish and Dutch painting. Previously a minority of paintings. landscapes became a more prominent subject.
Then the horizon line lowers. sometimes leaving the sky and clouds fill more than two thirds of the canvas.
At the same time, the technique of chiaroscuro. initiated by Caravaggio is used by Vermeer in his paintings, already show important contrasts between white clouds and others very dark. The Flemish sky has inspired several generations of painters. from the 17th century Antwerp miniaturists to William Turner. who traveled to us to observe our skies.
To express its beauty. these artists used paint. I use a more modern technique. photography. but my intention is the same. In Flanders. there is not a day. nor a moment of the day. when the clouds are identical. This is what intrigues me and encourages me to continue to capture these fleeting forms.
Flemish Light