Marie Lenclos’ Still Light
Artist Marie Lenclos introduces her new exhibition of paintings Still Light which opens at Townhouse this Saturday 28th September and runs until Sunday 13th October
Blue Door, Fournier St
‘When I first came to London in the nineties as an Erasmus student, Spitafields immediately became a favourite place to explore. For a young Parisian, there was magic in its dense urban fabric. Brick Lane was where you went to find a cheap bike or pick up old crockery. There were surprises at every corner, human stories or colourful stalls, and the tall town houses loomed over you with the weight of their past. I liked the fact I was a foreigner amongst many others.
This was before the creation of the Overground which opened a whole new transport route for me between my home in Denmark Hill and an area of London I still love to get lost in. I walk down Fournier St and the whole place feels like a museum to me, every street corner evokes a scene from another era. The industrial past is ever present and the richness of old brickwork is illuminated by the fleeting sunlight.
These oil paintings are a record of what I notice when I walk these streets. There is noise everywhere, the perpetual movement of passers by, hurried workers carrying coffees, cars starting and stalling, suddenly honking. But to me, there is only calm. When I focus on the scene in front of me, with its play of light and its colourful texture, it is like a mental pause.
My paintings are urban landscapes caught in a moment of calm amongst the chaos. Light is the most important actor, its role is to reveal the permanence and unexpected beauty.’ – Marie Lenclos
Red shutters, Fournier St
Lamp Post, Fournier St
Window, Spitalfields
View from a house on Princelet St
Brick patchwork, Off Columbia Rd
Across Old St, Shoreditch
Telephone Exchange, Shoreditch
Blue Gate, Kingsland Rd
Near Hoxton Station
Hoxton Arches
Posters, Shoreditch
Paintings copyright © Marie Lenclos
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London brick has never looked so beautiful!
An exceptional series of paintings.
Thank you.
Wonderful stuff, the precision is most enjoyable.
The one that stands out for me though is the blue lamppost, the chiarosuro and the slightly “wrong” perspective on the post immediately says Renee Magritte !
These sit very well with the whole “east london vernacular” thing.. Love it.
Wonderful !
Brilliant handling of the play of light and shade! Magical.
Fascinating how the artist handles light and shadow. I’ve never seen it like this before. Every brick, every wall edge, every shadow line is sharp — only the reflections of the clouds are irregular and in free movement… Impressive views!
Love & Peace
ACHIM
What beautiful paintings.
Luvvly jubbly.
Compelling. I am so happy to also read the thoughts of the artists, and her observations on ‘”calm”. For me, the text added so much extra compost to the paintings themselves. There is so much precision here (in the images) and the words brought softness, humanity and insight.
Many thanks for these thought-provoking ideas today.
Incredible! How does the artist create the amazing shadow effect on the brickwork? Very impressed, thank you.
Stunning!