Envers/Endroit

Envers/Endroit (Obverse/Reverse) consists of an overlay, in the same plane, of scenes inspired by paintings that made a mark on Art History: Olympia by Edouard Manet, 1863, Gabrielle d’Estrées and One of her Sisters by an unknown artist from the School of Fontainebleau, 1594, and The Three Graces by Raphael, 1505. This juxtaposition of details from different paintings creates a visual dynamic in which feet meet a hand, sponging a leg, that itself seems to caress the cheek of a sleeping woman.

Envers/Endroit prolongs a work of visual art undertaken two years ago. The starting point was a series of collages made from reproductions of paintings. Each image, which is part of a filmed scene, is cut out according to the traditional pattern of oriental rugs, which include a border, a field, spandrels and a central medallion. From these collages emerged the idea of a narrative fed by existence, a language through which acceptance of the world and opposition to it are in permanent dialogue. At this stage, the project occupies two screens, a diptych. The first consists of details from three paintings: a breast, a girl embroidering, and a detail from Olympia. This division-fusion explores two different methods for producing images: one figurative, the other abstract.

In Envers/Endroit, the simultaneous is lengthened over time while the spatial composition replaces the linear composition involved in editing. The intention of the project is to combine the specific language opportunities of painting with those of the cinema.