Scheerenschnitte - Decoupage - Silhouettes
In German, French, or English, the art of cutting silhouettes in black and placing them on white background is a centuries old art mode of Switzerland. I have gazed longingly at old "scissor-cuts" in antique stores, and so, was thrilled to see some at the "Cham-Art" exhibition at the Chateau des Penthes in Pregny-Chambesy. The artists in the exhibit celebrated the bicentennial of the official liaison of the Pregny-Chambesy town to the Canton of Geneva. (Come to think of it, 1816 is ALSO the bicentennial of the State of Indiana! So, similar history...sort of!!)
The artist who made the cuts, Rehanne, is a neighbor of my dear friends Saad and Christina, and invited me over to their home to see her workplace and more examples of her work! First, the five silhouettes below were done for this exhibit, and so Rehanne's designs reflect life from 200 years ago in the Geneva area.
The artist who made the cuts, Rehanne, is a neighbor of my dear friends Saad and Christina, and invited me over to their home to see her workplace and more examples of her work! First, the five silhouettes below were done for this exhibit, and so Rehanne's designs reflect life from 200 years ago in the Geneva area.
The scenes below, also from the exhibit, combine old paintings and postcards together to show the views of Lake Geneva from Pregny-Chambesy. I really liked the idea of this collage of different old pieces of art.
Below is a stained glass window in red with the white cross that is the flag of Switzerland. The diagonal black lines are also in the stained glass design, but outside the window are bars to keep burglars out, so you see the shadow of them on the window. There is also a reflection in the glass of a display of cups in what look like a shelf of mail slots - it was another piece of art done for the exhibit - one cup was made by a potter for each of the 200 years, each marked for the year. You can also see me holding up the phone/camera!
So, here is the artist and her work, at home. I was absolutely thrilled to get to see how this is done, and so am sharing the experience here. First are pieces she has done, followed by some photos of Rehanne as she worked just to demonstrate just how it's done. FASCINATING!!
