‘ I followed in the footsteps of the monks who were the first illuminators. My paintings are in homage to them.’ Mathilda de Carpentry has fingers as fine as the delicate lines she paints on her glass canvases. In choosing illumination, she has not chosen simplicity and, being a perfectionist she spends from three hundred to a thousand hours on each subject. From medieval scenes to sacred art, Mathilda finds her inspiration in an imagination fed by reading and travelling. Miniatures in ivory from Morocco, temples and saris from India, medieval and persian iconography as well as the books on art she came across during her applied and graphic arts studies. These have allowed the artist to collect a multitude of images now put on the glass which acts as their support as well as their protection. Scenes from the bible, the Koran or other religions are an expression of a quest that Mathilda lives from day to day. ‘ My painting is both a perpetual prayer, a quest, a calling out and an acknowledgement. I have always painted Christ and each time I feel emotions that are difficult to define.’ We can understand her when we stop in front of her ‘ Descent from the Cross ’ witnessed by a roman who first watched Christ die and then saw his resurrection. ‘ He is there, an involuntary witness as overcome as I was, ’ say Mathilda. Why does she paint ‘ Hell ’ up in the sky and on a blue background (her favourite colour and one she uses magnificently) when it is usually represented in red ? ‘ To leave the souls a chance, a ray of hope. The monks that are also found in the painting titled ‘ Purgatory ’ , are filled with all the sins of the world and atone for them on behalf of all men... and guide them towards salvation. A lot of priests are saints for the same reason ; they carry our sins. ’ Mathilda searches and questions. She wrong-foots all the cliches, be they aesthetic or religious, but not without difficulty, ‘ There is so much to learn, both in art and theology ! Each one of my paintings is the result of a number of encounters - artistic or religious - which have taken place in Europe, Asia or elsewhere. I am influenced by those images or texts which accumulate in my imagination until one day a painting appears. ’ It is thus that we can find ourselves in front of ‘ The Angel that appeared to Toby ’ with oriental features ! It does not matter.          
DIVINE, ILLUMINATED LIGHT
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