Benoît CAZELLES,

Contemporary Illuminator

Take a unique and refreshing look at illuminations!
Rediscover the breathtaking beauty of BENOÎT CAZELLES’S artwork in his new exhibition of stunning contemporary illuminations. Using the ancient technique of painting on real parchment with natural pigments and gold leaf, this artist creates masterpieces that burst with light, reflections and vitality. Ranging from gold-gilded pebbles the size of postage stamps to his three foot wide paintings with shimmering red and gold flames, the exhibition reflects the creator’s talent and testifies to the relevance of this artform today. Visitors are welcome to meet the artist over the course of the exhibition.

e come to appreciate the full beauty of the art of illumination when reading Sire Jean Joinville’s biography of King Louis IX of France. Joinville compares the early 14th century illuminated manuscripts with the splendour and riches to be found in the kingdom.

llumination is a longstanding artform which invites us to dream and to meditate upon beauty through magnificent shimmering colours, golds, and subtle shades.

he observer is not only overwhelmed with admiration for the amount of work and patience that the illumination represents, but is also engaged deep in contemplation.

t is said that Picasso was greatly inspired by Catalonian miniatures and by the symbolism to be found in the pictures. Prior to the first exhibition of Roman frescoes in France shortly after The Great War, Matisse was heard to declare “Had I but known these, it would have spared me twenty years of work”, presumably referring to the internal freedom he would have gained allowing him to turn away from the conventions of academic art. Modern artists, wanting to depart from the beaten track, are seeking freedom in interpretation. This is precisely what is demonstrated by Benoît Cazelles’ work where we find a bold blend of tradition and modernity.

enoît Cazelles was born in Versailles in 1974. As a result of his parents’ movements he spent much time abroad in his youth. Through travelling Benoît gained experience of cultures very different from our own, acquired a maturity and open-minded nature, and was filled with a desire to embrace all that is new and unexpected.

t is in this spirit that he invites us to meditate upon and discover the modernity in his art. The art of illumination, no longer confined to the Mediaeval era, emerges today as an important art form. Its revival in the 21st century bears testimony to its relevance to the modern world. Illumination demands not only a high degree of accuracy, patience and commitment, but also discipline and a steady hand. Benoît combines recent technical innovations with the antique style to bring an original and refreshing dimension to the art, and it is in this unique and contemporary style that his extreme talent as an artist lies. His gold-gilded miniatures on parchment are beautiful jewels to behold. He invites us to view an illumination in a new light, no longer as contained in a book, but as a painting in its own right.

Exhibitions