“Become totally empty,
Quiet the restlessness of the mind,
Only then will you witness
Everything unfolding from emptiness”
Lao Tze
All of the paintings above may seem familiar to you, but they lack a
certain something… In his “Hidden spaces“ (Espacios occultos) image
series, Spanish artist José Manuel Ballester removes the people from
classical paintings, revealing unnoticed hidden spaces (hence the name)
and objects.
Combining modern technologies with classical art, he invites viewers
to look at these masterpieces from a new angle and reinterpret the
stories we think we already know. The removal of people creates a
different effect in each painting – in some, you can see the traces
of a tragedy or the aftermath of a drama in the objects left behind,
while others simply leave you wondering where everybody’s gone.
Each new-found empty space is open for interpretations and discoveries.
Bron:
Het “leeg schilderen” van meesterwerken in de schilderkunst is al
vaker gedaan: door de Amerikaanse schilder George Deem en vóór hem
door de Italiaanse kunstenaar Riccardo Lumaca in zijn boekje
“Tre Vite Parallele di Johannes Vermeer”.
“We become aware of the void
as we fill it”
Antonio Porchia
Vooral Vermeer interieurs behouden hun schoonheid en serene uitstraling,
naarmate ze leeg worden geschilderd.
Bv. “Het Concert” uit het Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston.
Deze fotomontages zijn van mijn eigen hand: