The bright colours, the splendour of goldleaf, the sheets of glass (in carbon fibre so as to avoid breakage and of reflection), nothing detracts from the spirituality of these sacred scenes that ‘everyone can see and understand as they wish . ‘ Like the ‘Plague of Saint Gregory the Great ’. Time has abolished, nothing indicates that the scenes takes place in Rome: each person has to place the scene in his own imagination. The tabernacle carried by the monks is surrounded by a crowd, the Pope and the cardinals. A text in Latin tells of the tragedy. ‘ The plague could be contemporary, it could be AIDS, ‘ the artist say, ‘these paintings are medieval in their inspiration but remain topical. ‘Be it in London, Paris, Beaugency - a perfect medieval city - Sarlat or Strasbourg, Mathilda de Carpentry exhibits for her own pleasure, crossing both centuries and countries with talent. After five years - from 1982 to 1987 - of reflection and patient work in her studio in Toulon she finally decided to show to the public her meticulous, perfect work. She uses a very ancient technique mastered by the Bysantines who used it for eight centuries before passing it on the Venetians in the XIII century. Mathilda uses oil paints applied to the reverse side of a sheet of glass. Each subject is superimposed on the previous one thus excluding any possibility of correction. ‘ To find a solution to the fragility of glass I had to use new materials as well as new cutting and framing techniques. ‘Goldleaf is used in a lot of works and the glass Mathilda uses come from the fashion house Hermès. ‘ When I use goldleaf, which is so difficult to stick on glass I have to hold my breath as I work so as not to destroy the image.’ When the painting has been completed, it’s interpretation is far from being fixed. It varies with the way in which one looks at them: historically, religiously or simply artistically. There is also a strange phenomenon; among the many sacred scenes she paints those which evoke the Moslem religion (mosques or prophets) are the most successful. Mathilda cannot explain why but it in no way affects her fervour in her quest for Christ, far from the critics. She often thinks of Rainer Maria Rilke who said so rightly, ‘ Works of art of an infinite solitude ; Criticism is the worst way to approach them. Only love can grasp them, keep them and be just to them. ’ Isabelle Sadoux. Valeurs Actuelles, August. 1993
DIVINE, ILLUMINATED LIGHT
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