Description
Artist/Maker: Vasilios Roumeliotis (b. 1977) / Roumelight
Object/Materials and Techniques: Perforated Metal Canvas
Date: Created in 2017
Dimensions: H. 75 cm x D. 4 cm x W. 75 cm
Colours: Deep Pink (currently in stock)
Art style: Light art / Luminism / Lighting sculpture
Current Location: Artist’s collection, Athens
Curator’s note: A tribute to the quintessential celebrity of Art History, who has ascended to the status of a potent brand: Mona Lisa, or La Gioconda. Leonardo da Vinci’s celebrated archetypal masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance, executed in 1503, stands as one of the most widely disseminated works of art globally.
Mona Lisa has evolved into a readymade icon, her legend growing with each passing era, reimagined and recreated by a plethora of creatives of diverse styles, including the luminary figure of the 20th century, Andy Warhol. Reacting not merely to the painted portrait itself, but to the reputation and commanding allure of her image, Andy Warhol, through a Pop Art idiom imbued with duplications, reinvented her renowned visage, elevating it to the status of an iconic modern masterpiece. He created his own Pop rendition of the Renaissance masterwork, and through his acclaimed series of multi-coloured reproduced canvases, demonstrated that high art can be readily linked to popular and commoditised culture.
Today, Vasilios Roumeliotis, profoundly inspired by the seminal Pop icon as introduced by Andy Warhol, consciously elects to incorporate the renowned artwork into his ingenious lighting art creations, bearing the distinctive aesthetic signature of the Roumelight brand. Capitalising on the interplay of light and shadow that significantly amplifies the mystery which, throughout the centuries, has enshrouded Mona Lisa’s figure, Vasilios Roumeliotis employs the advantages of contemporary light art to accentuate the most legendary characteristics of the figure: the enigma of the smile and the concealed arcanum in the eyes.
The complexity of this lighting installation, which renders Mona Lisa’s portrait, is demonstrated through a metal canvas, meticulously wrought with over 3,500 apertures. Furthermore, the artist masterfully reveals the celebrated image through the medium of light expression, alluding to the comparable painterly effects of sfumato and chiaroscuro, as originally employed by Leonardo da Vinci, and subsequently reproduced with consummate skill by Andy Warhol through his renowned silk-screening and polished technique.
The Mona Lisa lighting artwork from the Roumelight collection may be displayed as a standalone piece or a set of four altered coloured iterations, and more, based on Andy Warhol’s Pop Art style and presentation, highlighting the pervasive nature of one of the most reproduced painted images in modern society: the ‘Radiant’ Mona Lisa, or La Gioconda.
Installation notes:
- The Mona Lisa by Roumelight can be fabricated in a variety of dimensions, illumination modes, and metal and canvas colour palettes. Each variation yields a distinct aesthetic effect, suitable for diverse ambiances and settings.
- Professional technical assistance is advised for the assembly or suspension of the lighting installation.
- Guidance from the artist may be furnished upon request.
