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Bernhard Hildebrandt, On the Lagoon: Venice Recalled

February 20 - April 15, 2020

Procession in the Courtyard of the Ducal Palace, V...

Procession in the Courtyard of the Ducal Palace, Venice, 2018 

Archival Inkjet printed on Hahnemühle paper mounted on Dibond

48 x 72 in; 121.9 x 182.9 cm

Framed: 52 1/2 x 76 1/2 in; 133.3 x 194.3 cm

Edition 1/5, 2AP

 

 

The Square of Saint Mark's, Venice, 2018...

The Square of Saint Mark's, Venice, 2018

Archival Inkjet printed on Hahnemühle paper mounted on Dibond

30 x 45 in; 76.2 x 114.3 cm

Framed: 34 1/2 x 49 1/2 in; 87.6 x 125.7 cm

Edition 1/5, 2AP

Bacchus and Ariadne, 2019 Archival Inkjet pri...

Bacchus and Ariadne, 2019

Archival Inkjet printed on Hahnemühle paper mounted on Dibond

30 x 45 in; 76.2 x 114.3 cm

Framed: 34 1/2 x 49 1/2 in; 87.6 x 125.7 cm

Edition 1/5, 2AP

Piazza San Marco, Venice, 2018 Archival Inkje...

Piazza San Marco, Venice, 2018

Archival Inkjet printed on Hahnemühle paper mounted on Dibond

18 x 25 in; 45.7 x 63.5 cm

Framed: 22 1/2 x 31 1/2 in; 57.1 x 80 cm

Edition 1/5, 2AP

Piazza San Marco, Venice, 2019 Archival Inkje...

Piazza San Marco, Venice, 2019

Archival Inkjet printed on Hahnemühle paper mounted on Dibond 

30 x 45 in; 76.2 x 114.3 cm

Framed: 34 1/2 x 49 1/2 in; 87.6 x 125.7 cm

Edition 1/5, 2AP

A Blindfolded Cupid with a Torch for a Couple in F...

A Blindfolded Cupid with a Torch for a Couple in Festive Clothing, 2018

Archival Inkjet printed on Epson Hot Press Bright paper mounted on Dibond

44 x 34 in; 111.7 x 86.3 cm

Framed: 47 x 37 in; 119.4 x 94 cm

Edition 1/5, 2AP

A Venetian Woman, 2019 Archival Inkjet printe...

A Venetian Woman, 2019

Archival Inkjet printed on Epson Hot Press Bright paper mounted on Dibond

44 x 34 in; 111.7 x 86.3 cm

Framed: 47 x 37 in; 119.4 x 94 cm

Edition 1/5, 2AP

Baletto di Mezetinc, 2019 Archival Inkjet pri...

Baletto di Mezetinc, 2019

Archival Inkjet printed on Epson Hot Press Bright paper mounted on Dibond

22 x 17 in; 55.9 x 43.2 cm

Framed: 23 1/2 x 18 1/2 in; 59.7 x 47 cm

Edition 1/5, 2AP

Burattin, 2019 Archival Inkjet printed on Eps...

Burattin, 2019

Archival Inkjet printed on Epson Hot Press Bright paper mounted on Dibond

22 x 17 in; 55.9 x 43.2 cm

Framed: 23 1/2 x 18 1/2 in; 59.7 x 47 cm

Edition 1/5, 2 AP

Ritratto di giovane fidanzato o sposo, 2017 A...

Ritratto di giovane fidanzato o sposo, 2017

Archival Inkjet printed on Hahnemühle paper mounted on Dibond

30 x 20 in; 76.2 x 50.8 cm

Framed: 34 1/2 x 24 1/2 in; 87.6 x 62.2 cm

Edition 1/5, 2AP

Doge Andrea Gritti, 2018 Archival Inkjet prin...

Doge Andrea Gritti, 2018

Archival Inkjet printed on Hahnemühle paper mounted on Dibond

72 x 48 in; 182.9 x 121.9 cm

Framed: 76 1/2 x 52 1/2 in; 194.3 x 133.3 cm

Edition 1/5, 2AP

Gondola with Allegorical Figures, 1, 2018 Arc...

Gondola with Allegorical Figures, 1, 2018

Archival Inkjet printed on Epson Hot Press Bright paper mounted on Dibond

17 x 22 in; 43.2 x 55.9 cm

Framed: 18 1/2 x 23 1/2 in; 47 x 59.7 cm

Edition 1/5, 2AP

Gondola with Allegorical Figures, 2, 2019 Arc...

Gondola with Allegorical Figures, 2, 2019

Archival Inkjet printed on Epson Hot Press Bright paper mounted on Dibond

17 x 22 in; 43.2 x 55.9 cm

Framed: 18 1/2 x 23 1/2 in; 47 x 59.7 cm

Edition 1/5, 2AP

Maschere da Couielo che ua Cantando Siciliane,&nbs...

Maschere da Couielo che ua Cantando Siciliane, 2019

Archival Inkjet printed on Epson Hot Press Bright paper mounted on Dibond

22 x 17 in; 55.9 x 43.2 cm

Framed: 23 1/2 x 18 1/2 in; 59.7 x 47 cm

Edition 1/5, 2AP

Mattasin, 2019 Archival Inkjet printed on Eps...

Mattasin, 2019

Archival Inkjet printed on Epson Hot Press Bright paper mounted on Dibond

22 x 17 in; 55.9 x 43.2 cm

Framed: 23 1/2 x 18 1/2 in; 59.7 x 47 cm

Edition 1/5, 2AP

The Bucintoro at the Molo on Ascension Day, 2...

The Bucintoro at the Molo on Ascension Day, 2018

Archival Inkjet printed on Hahnemühle paper mounted on Dibond

30 x 45 in; 76.2 x 114.3 cm

Framed: 34 1/2 x 49 1/2 in; 87.6 x 125.7 cm

Edition 1/5, 2AP

Artist Page

Press Release

Barbara Mathes Gallery is pleased to announce Bernhard Hildebrandt’s On the Lagoon: Venice Recalled. In this exhibit Hildebrandt explores the relationship between painting and photography, abstraction and narrative, and the nature of vision and technology.

Hildebrandt’s photographs are based on Venetian late Renaissance and Baroque paintings and engravings. He photographs these source images—including works by Venetian giants Canaletto, Tiepolo, and Titian—with his camera in motion, thereby creating a distortion through the movement of his lens. The resulting images preserve the vibrant color and general composition of the originals but refuse to coalesce into the art historical cityscapes, mythological scenes, and portraits we expect. In his Piazza San Marco, Venice (2018), for example, he uses one of Canaletto’s celebrated views of the square from 1742-1744. In subjecting the painting to such an intense vertical blur that it becomes a linear near-abstraction, Hildebrandt destabilizes the cliché of ‘beautiful Venetian cityscapes,’ forcing us to look anew at familiar historical images.

In photos such as his Bacchus and Ariadne (after Tiepolo) (2019), Hildebrandt’s mechanical blur is gentler, adding a visual swing to an already swirling composition. Finally, in his series of graphic works based on engravings, copy machines and scanners replace the camera as Hildebrandt’s tool of distortion. Francesco Bertelli’s images of Venetian carnival costumes and Antonio Francesco Lucini’s scenes from Venetian life twist and stretch, becoming surreal and uncanny through reproduction. Fascinated by the movement inherent in Baroque art, a style often discussed as proto-cinematic, Hildebrandt’s ‘motion studies’ introduce further layers of dynamism that at once pay homage to and transform the Baroque aesthetic.

Bernhard Hildebrandt received his BFA in painting from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1984 and his MFA (also in painting) from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 1995. His work has been widely exhibited, including a recent exhibit at The Phillips Collection (Washington, DC), for which he photographed El Greco’s The Repentant Saint Peter (1600-1614).

Opening Reception:
Thursday, February 20, 2020 from 6pm-8pm at Barbara Mathes Gallery

Contact Information:
Barbara Mathes Gallery is located at 22 East 80th Street.  The gallery is open Monday through Friday, 10am to 6pm and Saturday by appointment.  For more information or images, please contact the gallery at 212-570-4190 or art@barbaramathesgallery.com

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