Culture
Lighteffectsasiffrom
Caravaggio:Travelling
exhibition"MatthewPennIlluminatingCharacters"
“MatthewPenn–IlluminatingCharacters”
ExhibitioninthePalauRobert,Barcelona
23September–9October2016
Venue
PalauRobert
PasseigdeGràcia107
08008Barcelona
www.palaurobert.gencat.cat
Openingtimes
Monday-Saturday:10.00am–8.00pm
Sundayandpublicholidays:10.00am–2.30pm
Thepenetratinglife-lookthatfixatesvisitorsfromthedarknessof
thewall-mountcouldbeunsettlinginitsintensity,yetitisonly
uponmuchcloserobservationofthisover-sizedportraitthatit
becomesclearthattheartworkisnotaphotographbutratheran
oilpainting.Thealmostsculpturaleffectofthehyper-realistic
artworkofMatthewPennisthepinnacleofcompleteperfectionin
theChiaroscurostyle,whichnaturallyworkswithdramaticcontrasts
betweenlightanddark,helped,withexcellenteffect,bythe
precisionaccentuationdeliveredbyERCOspotlights.MatthewPenn
isnowproud,asisERCO,thattheseexhibitsaretobeshowcasedat
aneventinthehistoricroomsofthePalauRobertinBarcelona
from23September–9October2016.
InstrikingsimilaritytotheworksofCaravaggio,Rembrandtand
Titian,peopleinMatthewPenn’sfocusseemalmosttojumpoffthe
canvasinextremelydirectionallightprojectedontoadark
background.The27-year-oldself-trainedartistusestechniquesof
ChiaroscurodefinedbyTenebrism,itselfastylethataroseinitially
around1600andwaslaterperfectedduringtherenaissance.Inthis
style,lightfindsanew,dramaticrole,andwithanexpertuseof
strongcontrastsbetweendarknessandlight,thepersonalitiesand
thebodylanguageofthecharactersisemphasisedgivingthespatial
depthoftheartworkevenmorepower.
MatthewPennregardslightholisticallyandasanintegral
componentofallhisartwork.Thisdoesnotonlyapplytothe
techniqueinitsownright,butalsotohiscreativeprocess.The
portraits’almosthypnoticqualitiesareonlyrevealedwiththeright
lightingsystemsinplace.NotonlydoesMatthewuseERCOlighting
inhisatelier,buthealsoequipseverypieceofhisartworkwith
ERCOspotlights–these,inturn,emphasisetheChiaroscuroeffect
thankstotheirincrediblypreciseaccentuation.Thegoalissimple–
collectorsshouldbeabletoenjoytheartworkwithexactlydefined
illumination,andinthisway,theartistcanbesurethatthefull
powerofhisworkcanbeenjoyed.
"Thiswayoflightingdoesnotjustdisplaytheartbutenhancesit
andbecomespartoftheartitself."
LightingtechnologyasiffromCaravaggio–
sculpturalportraitsinERCOlight
TheexhibitionspaceinwhichtheartisticprojectbyMatthewPenn,
“IlluminatingCharacters”,willtakeplaceisatemporaryblack
cubicleroom.ERCOPolluxspotlightswillbeusedhere,eitherwith
2Wnarrowspotdistributionoras6Wcontourspotlight,whichwill
beidealfortheilluminationofthethreeextremelylargepaintings.
“IusethePolluxlightsbecausetheyallowmetosculptthelighton
thepaintingwithmorecontrolandarefineddefinition,”Matthew
reportedinthisinterview.HeusesERCOlightingtoolstodeliver
verytargetedaccentlightingontospecificdetails,lendingfurther
depth,andbeyondthat,trueemotion.Inordertoachievethisgoal,
ultimateprecisionofthephotometrictechnologyiskeytoavoid
spilllightonunwantedareasoftheartwork.Thelightis,onecould
almostsay,paintedintoplace.
Afurtherveryimportantthemewastheselectionofcolour
temperature.TheartistselectedPolluxluminairesinwarmwhite,
with3000K,inordertoemphasisefaces,skin,hairandeven
wrinkles.Artisticlightingwithinthepaintingsishighlightedin
neutralwhite,at4000K,whichcreatesaverylife-likeandalmost
three-dimensionaleffect.MatthewPennexplained,“Thiswayof
sculptingandmanipulatingthelightonthepaintingenhancesitto
completethepiece.Thecombinationoflightingandfinished
hyper-realisticpaintingtakestheworkintoamesmerisingand
engagingdarkeratmospherewherethevieweristransportedand
immersedwithintheportrait–awayoflightingnotjusttodisplay
theartbuttoenhanceitandbecomepartoftheartitself.”
Travellingexhibitionforanewapproachtoart
"MatthewPenn–IlluminatingCharacters"representsanew
collaborationbetweentheartisthimselfandERCO.Thehighlightsof
theexhibitionaretheartisticapproachandthesignificanceoflight
inMatthewPenn'screations.Designedasatravellingexhibition,it
haspreviouslybeenonviewattheERCOshowroomsinLondonand
ParisandwillshortlytourotherinternationalERCOlocations.Ifyou
wanttofindoutmoreaboutMatthewPennandhislifeandworks,
pleaserefertoourreportat"MatthewPenn'ssenseoflight".
MatthewPennfilm:Lightin
hyperrealism:MatthewPennonhis
approachtoart,inaninterviewfilmed
forthe“IlluminatingCharacters”
exhibitioninParis.
TheevocativeeffectofartinERCOlight:
AfilmbyMatthewPennattheexhibition
inBarcelona.
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ArtistMatthewPennhasequippedhisstudioinKentwithERCOspotlights.Photo:
FriederBlickle,Hamburg.