The series Des Ombres et miroirs is forthcoming from the work La Raison des Miroirs, in which Lefere explores scale and perspective. Based on the doctoral research of architect Patrick Seurinck, he reconstructed the space that is depicted in Jan van Eyck’s Virgin and Child with Canon van der Paele (1436).
The resulting photo evokes a sense of both familiarity and alienation in the viewer. The omission of the characters from the famous painting allows a new reading of the image, while its large scale gives the photo a certain monumentality. The effect of the shadows and the ‘infini’ in the background are a direct reference to van Eyck, as is the subtle touch of varnish painted on the columns to further evoke the illusion of spatiality. Finally, there is his inscription on the steps: ‘Avec la raison des ombres et miroirs’, a reference to the book La perspective, avec la raison des ombres et miroirs (Perspective with the reason of shadows and mirrors, 1611) by Salomon de Caus.
The series Des Ombres et miroirs is an extension to this project during which Lefere re-photographed details of the initial work, highlighting specific architectural details and achieving even more painterly qualities in the resulting prints.