Following the exhibition on Windows (Fenêtres) in 2013, the Fondation continues its exploration of major themes in western iconography. The theme of this exhibition features a selection of nearly 140 artworks, representing 500 years of the history of art and a diverse range of artistic forms, from painting to installation, sculpture, prints, drawings, photography and video. The masterpieces reflect the sustained interest artists have shown in shadow, from self-portraits (Rembrandt, Delacroix) to explorations of perspective (Bandinelli, de Hooch), chiaroscuro (Cambiaso, Jordaens, Wright of Derby) and the dramatic landscape of the Romantics (Friedrich, Carus, Bendz). Highpoints of the exhibition include shadow in the work of the Impressionists (Monet) and post-Impressionists (Cross, Sorolla), and a section bringing together the disturbing, paradoxical uses of shadow in the work of the symbolists (Degouve de Nuncques, Spilliaert), expressionists (Munch), surrealists (Dalí, Magritte, Ernst) and the New Objectivity (Schad, Stoecklin). The use of shadow in modern and contemporary art is reflected in iconic works by Picasso, Warhol, Boltanski and Kosuth, while video artists (Acconci, Otth, Maisonnasse) reinterpret the great founding myths linking shadow to art and knowledge, from Plato to Pliny. The exhibition is enhanced by a large photographic section, revealing that photography too has its constant focus on shadow.
