The magic of the night as reflected in paintings

The magic of the night as reflected in paintings

Directed by Marion Schmidt | 2019 | arte | SR

For centuries the Night has been a reoccurring subject in painting, but how has the Night and the way it’s perceived by artists changed over time?  Originally, the Night was the time during which light was absent, which presented a huge challenge for painters. The focus of the film will be on great historical works of art, key works in art history on the topic of the Night. But what does Night mean for contemporary artists? What are the ramifications of electrification and digitalization?

“I don’t think there is one museum in the world that doesn’t have at least one night-themed painting in its collection”, says Jean-Marie Gallais, curator at the Centre Pompidou Metz, who has curated an exhibition around the theme of The Night in modern art.