16 march 2025, Martine Bontjes
The studio of… Lisette Schumacher
Lisette Schumacher developed a passion for modern architecture at an early age. Born and raised in Rotterdam, the artist saw her city gradually changing. She became fascinated by the way Blaak station - the UFO - was converted into a modern transfer station. Nowadays, Schumacher lives and works from Amsterdam, where she overlooks the Rembrandt Tower, the city's tallest skyscraper. Modernist ideals run like a thread through her colourful paintings, which offer a new perspective from every angle. Schumacher's work can be seen at Root Gallery in Krimpen aan de Lek.
Her most recent residency in Los Angeles resulted in a new series of works titled ‘Daytime Full Moon’. Schumacher was rising early to watch the sunrise in Griffith Park. The images she saw from the Griffith Observatory left her hooked: “I arrived at this iconic location before sunrise and was gifted with the sight of the full moon still visible in daylight, it was like a fairytale, an unforgettable experience.” The artist works with plexiglas and mirrors. Playing with depths and reflections gives Schumacher's two-dimensional work a three-dimensional effect. Go see her sugar sweet paintings at the end of this month during Art Rotterdam.
Can you take us to your studio? Where is it, and what does it look like?
My studio is located in Amsterdam-East on the second floor overlooking water and the Rembrandt Tower in the distance. It has a light grey concrete floor, white walls and a glass facade on one side. Working with good daylight is essential for me. The space is very neutral, like a white canvas; this works very well, without distractions. There is also a desk, an armchair, and there are cabinets and work tables. It is clean because the materials I work with attract dust, so I regularly vacuum and mop.
What does a weekday at your studio look like? Do you start your day with a specific ritual, or do you let the process flow mostly intuitively?
I start my day with a good breakfast after which I go for a walk or exercise. Then I get to work feeling refreshed. In my studio, I always play music. The music is only off when I have to write something. I use music to get into the right focus. For painting I use quiet music, for preparatory work I play up-tempo music. I can only paint when I get into a deep focus. I do that by turning off my phone notifications, turning on quiet music and sketching. Then I am ready to start the real work. Before I make a new series, it involves extensive preliminary research, a trip to a destination, background research on the locations I visit and material technical research. When I make new works, I get absorbed in them for weeks and can't let go until they are finished. Then there is room again for things like my administration, writing, photo editing, studio appointments, ordering materials etc.
You grew up in Rotterdam, a city of modern architecture, has this environment influenced your work as an artist?
Absolutely! I was born and raised in Rotterdam. As a child, I watched how the city became modernised. I remember well the former aerial railway along the Laurenskerk and the construction of Blaak station - the UFO. As a child, I loved listening to stories about the reconstruction and modern infrastructure being built in the city. Before moving to Amsterdam, I lived in the centre of Rotterdam, a vibrant place. Being exposed to modern architecture from a young age sparked my interest. In the art history lessons I gave to my exam classes, I wanted to make students aware of how special (Rotterdam) architecture is.
In an interview, you described that architecture requires both physical experience and intellectual interpretation. Can you tell us more about how you translate the process of ‘intense observation’ into your artworks?
When I am on location, my senses are on alert. I walk, stand, sit and look at all the details I see in the spaces. I also capture these with photographs and film recordings. This gives me a good impression of the space, and I can look back and use everything as inspiration material. At sunset, the Stahl House (Pierre Koenig, Hollywood Hills) transforms from open and full of reflections to closed and subdued. I use this observation in my paintings and sculptures by working with transparency and reflection and matching colour choices to the location I have visited. But the first thing that happens when I enter a space is the physical experience. Every place has an atmosphere, a character, shaped by the architect, but also by the (former) users of the space. I capture that atmosphere, and it always serves as a crucial foundation for the series I create afterwards.
In your new works that you will show at Art Rotterdam, light plays an important role. Why this fascination with light?
Light is essential to life, intangible and changing; inexhaustibly interesting for me to work with. The effect of light in a building can have a huge impact on your perception as a visitor. It gives mood and character. The church in Le Corbusier's St Marie de la Tourette convent in France has a strong mystical character due to the use of indirect light coming from cleverly placed light locks. The Stahl House in Los Angeles consists almost entirely of glass. Its open character connects inside with outside and makes you aware of all the changes in the house's immediate surroundings. Light has played an increasingly important role in my work over the years, first in a supportive way, as small spots of light in the series I made on Le Corbusier's designs. In my current work, light plays an interactive role as it intertwines with my works. Reflections on the surface of my work change colour and intensity.
Your works almost seem to float in space. What materials or techniques do you use to create this effect?
I work with plexiglass and mirrors, among other materials. I am inspired by modern architecture and I find it interesting to make a reference from the two-dimensional plane to the three-dimensionality of buildings. I play with the perception of space. Using depths, reflections and mirrors creates a three-dimensional component in my two-dimensional work. That additional layer is a reference to the origin of my work— a house or building, my muse.
Los Angeles is a fast-paced city, there is a lot happening, people work their asses off and have big dreams. The city is not known for its beauty or good infrastructure. The city is vastly spread across all kinds of neighbourhoods, each with its own identity. I had the chance to do a month-long residency in Venice, a neighbourhood in Los Angeles, in 2022. I had a house, a studio and a bicycle at my disposal. I spent a month visiting all kinds of neighbourhoods in Los Angeles including Venice, Santa Monica, Malibu, Pasadena, Los Feliz, Hollywood and Beverly Hills. I have visited many remarkable houses and buildings, made friends, and carried the city in my heart. Los Angeles is known for its extraordinary light. This is where the Light and Space Movement was born. I only really saw the special light effect when I first visited the Stahl House in the Hollywood Hills. The observations I made there marked a turning point in my work. They sparked my interest in using plexiglass and led to my current exploration of light, reflection, and color transitions.
What do you want visitors to experience at Art Rotterdam? Do you aim for a purely visual reaction, or do you hope your work will also evoke emotional or physical responses?
I aim to spark the curiosity of visitors. The appearance of my work shifts based on the viewing angle and light. As people pass by, they often notice this change. I've noticed people catch a glimpse of my work from the corner of their eye, and then return to figure out what occurred. This leads to interesting conversations. My pieces evoke a range of responses: surprise, curiosity, and admiration.
Are there any projects or collaborations you are currently dreaming of but have not yet been able to realise?
I have just returned from Palm Springs. There I visited Mid-Century Modern architecture by Albert Frey, John Lautner, Richard Neutra and William Krisel, among others. I plan to work on something with that. In the future, I would like to collaborate with an architect to create a facade design. I would also like to develop a project with a social design agency.
What are you currently working on?
At the time you are reading this interview, I have just finished my new series ‘Daytime Full Moon’ to show at Art Rotterdam. This series consists of six small and three larger paintings made on solid Plexiglas sheets. I have created soft dreamy images, both calm and dynamic. The origin for this series was the full moon I saw in the early morning, just before sunrise, from the Griffith Observatory in Griffith Park. I arrived at this iconic location ahead of the sunrise and was gifted with the sight of the full moon still visible in daylight, a magical and unforgettable experience. I wanted to behold the unexpected and capture the full day moon in works containing the same soft colours as the sugar sweet palette in the sky.
