
Vernissage
October 17th, from 5pm to 8pm
Paris, the City of Lights, Versailles and its chateau, a jewel of classicism; for photographer Nicolas Ruel, these emblematic sites are where his project Cityscape began, in 2007, and where new creative ventures would unfold in 2018. Still intrigued by the technique of spontaneously shot double exposures, Ruel seeks to further refine its form and enrich its content, namely by introducing a human element that energizes the composition while deepening its subject matter. The boulevards, parks and gardens are now filled with people, and a parallel is drawn between humans and their representation in art history through the sculptures and paintings that embellish the landscape and architecture. There are the mythological figures along the Royal Way and in the Latona Basin at Versailles, the heroes and goddesses that pose in countless paintings at the Louvre, and of course the exploits of Louis XIV that adorn the baroque vaulted ceiling of the Hall of Mirrors, painted by Charles Le Brun. Through the use of double exposure, new narratives emerge that capture the grandeur of these masterpieces in another light; from a human perspective still, but larger than life.