Citrus & Glass
Marie Cécile Thijs
2015
Fine Art Print on dibond with matted plex, framed
limited editions
Marie Cécile Thijs’ photo “Citrus & Glass” shows a green rummer glass positioned in the centre of a light brown textile surface in front a darker brown background. A half-peeled lemon is floating above the glass. The detached lemon rind points spiralling downwards. Splashes of lemon juice fall left hand of the glass down, to reappear on the right in reduced quantity. Moreover, there are drops in the drinking vessel.
By the neutral dark background and the two elements, the image recalls Dutch still-lifes, in particular the so-called “Monochrome Banketjes” (Monochrome Banquets) from the second quarter of the 17th century (ca. 1625–1650). Recurring in the paintings of Haarlem based painters like Pieter Claesz and Willem Claeszoon Heda are both, the half-peeled lemon and the rummer (also known as a Römer or Roemer, among other variations), besides other aliments and tableware.
However, instead of the richer ancient meal arrangements of the Dutsch masters, Marie Cécile isolates only two elements: the lemon and the rummer. Whereas the “Monochrome Banketjes” show precious tableware on fine blankets enriched by fruits, bread, cheese, fish, oysters and other components. While the meal still-lifes are, according to the genre, motionless, but could depict the moment after the repast and before the clearing of the table, in the presented photography the lemon seems to be dynamic due to the juice splashes and the surrealistic position in levitation.
Besides of being a vertical compositional element, the glass in Dutch still-lifes enables the painter to show invisible light sources like windows, which are mirrored in the drinking vessel. In the ancient paintings they are often muntin windows. Marie Cécile also shows such reflexions, but here the window seems to be more contemporary, since it has a single light opening. Even though the rummer underlines the verticality in the square picture plane, it is less prominent than the yellow citrus fruit, because of its green dark tones, which only make a limited contrast to the background.
This is different with the bright yellow lemon. The brilliance of its rind is underlined by a light incidence from the right so that it contrasts to the dark background. Besides its symbolic character, the partly hyper realistic depicted fruit in the “Monochrome Banketjes” was often placed to strengthen the spatial effect and/or to attract the onlooker’s glance and pull it into the image. In the presented photography, the lemon has not only a prominent role, but is the main character. It is the acting element, which encircles and enters the rummer with its juice. Whereas the function of the glass is to stabilise the magically levitating fruit and herewith the composition.
Even though using elements and visual language of the ancient Dutch masters, Marie Cécile creates a new surrealist image, since she plays with the components, using the possibilities of digital photography. This enables her to create wonderous new connections to surprise the spectator with realistic seeming compositions.
The Dutch artist primarily works in series which she expands continuously. “Citrus & Glass” is part of her “Food Portraits”. Many of these portraits have a similar background to the presented photo. Also, some of the “actors” are borrowed from the “Monochrome Banketjes”. Additionally, Marie Cécile introduces more contemporary elements like a food processor or a plastic drinking straw. Some images remind more the traditional meal still-lifes, others underline the character of the depicted aliments.
After a first publication of the “Food Portraits” in the Financieele Dagblad in 2012, it has been awarded by the International Photography Awards in 2013 and honoured by the first place in the 7th Photography Masters Cup 2014 (Chickpeas). The photos have been exhibited in Dutch institutions like the Museum Nairac, the Museum Jan Cunen and the Museum aan het Vrijthof and also were presented on several art fairs.
Marie Cécile Thijs
Born in 1964 in Heerlen, Netherlands, Marie Cécile Thijs went to the VWO Bernardinus College in her hometown and subsequently she studied at the Fashion Department of Art Academy St Joost in Breda for one year. Afterwards she made her Master of Law at the Law school of the University of Leiden.
The work of the artist is influenced by painting of the Dutch Golden Age, in particular by the portrait tradition and the still-lifes of this time. This is evident in many of her images by a nearly monochrome background, but also by the choice of several objects, which she borrows from the ancient paintings, or the inclusion of historical artefacts separately photographed in museums. Consequently, her photographs are highly arranged.
By specialising in stage photography, she primarily works in series. These series could have a recurring element like the 17th-century antique ruff from the collection of the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam in “White Collar”. Here, Marie Cécile portrayed children and cats and later added the separately photographed ruff digitally. Also, for her series “Collection Rijksmuseum” the artist utilised antique objects. However, here they become main protagonists who are reborn to a new unexpected life.
In her series “Food Portraits” the artist portraits tableware and aliments like cheese, fish, olives which also can be found in the “Monochrome Banketjes” (Monochrome Banquets) by painters who worked especially in the region of Haarlem in the second quarter of the 17th century. Moreover, in several photos, there are other, more contemporary elements like ice-cream and a food processor. Most of the pictures have in common that the portrayed food is not presented in its known context, but as “actor” who describes its properties, for example black olives appear arranged in a grid of olive oil or matzos show up in a cloud of flour. In our Artwork of the Month / September 2024, “Citrus & Glass” Marie Cécile features a rummer with a half-peeled lemon levitating above, splashing its juice in and around the drinking glass. Here, she took two recurring elements of Monochrome Banketjes to present them in a new context.
Suitable to the “Food Portraits” is the series “Cooks”, where the artist portraits renown cooks in a playful manner with elements of their profession. Other portraits show “Amazones”, female protagonists mostly with striking collars or/and hairstyles or children with feather wings as “Human Angels”.
For “Flowers, Birds & Vases” she combines the title giving elements to a surrealistic world of flora and fauna. In “Green Scenes” the vivant elements become even more illusionary. Started during the pandemic, the artist imagined a nature where the human hand seems to have disappeared: a lizard sits peaceful on a poppy, a chameleon rests on a magnolia branch and a rose has the flower of a dandelion.
Besides numerous solo shows and participations in group exhibitions in the Netherlands, but also in other European countries, the United States and China, Marie Cécile’s photos have been presented in newspapers and she published several books. Additionally, she was commissioned to create portraits of enterprises and public institutions and illustrated book covers. With her representing international galleries, her works travelled to many art fairs, inter alia the Photo London, the MIA Artfair Milan, the Art Miami, the Zona Maco (Mexico) and the TEFAF Maastricht and entered in several public and private collections. In 2024, she is Artist of the Year of the Foundation Kunstweek. Her next solo exhibition “Food and other Portraits” will be in the Galerie XII in Paris from
12th September until 26th October 2024. Furthermore, her works will be on view from 19th to 22nd September 2024 at the Photo Fair Unseen Amsterdam at the booth of the SmithDavidson Gallery.
Marie Cécile lives and works in Rotterdam.
https://www.mariececilethijs.com