Freedom in painting
With "THE CATHEDRAL OF MONET - Freedom in painting", Yadegar Asisi is breaking new ground in his oeuvre: for the first time, a panorama measuring 6 x 2 meters was painted in oil on canvas in his Berlin studio before being digitized in high resolution, printed and finally staged in the Panometer as a 360° installation.
With the panorama, the artist invites you on a picturesque journey to the French city of Rouen at the end of the 19th century. The focus is on the impressive Nôtre Dame Cathedral, which has been immortalized in a multifaceted interplay of extraordinary colour nuances, shades and incidences of light. Numerous contemporaries of the era, such as Claude Monet, Vincent Van Gogh and Auguste Renoir, can be found on the square in front of it and in the city's alleyways.
The printed large panorama has an almost three-dimensional effect: the structure of the canvas, brushstrokes and a digitally enlarged application of paint can be viewed up close in the 3,500 square metre work of art, allowing visitors to virtually immerse themselves in the oil painting.
With this project, Yadegar Asisi looks at the development of art under the influence of technology and social achievements. Impressionism marked the beginning of a period that was accompanied by a completely free development of motifs, themes and painting techniques right up to the present day. The influence of technology, from photography at the time to today's AI models, has expanded the spectrum and the expressive possibilities of visual artists to this day. In the accompanying exhibition with around 100 works by Asisi, he confronts the tension between painting, craftsmanship and digitalization, but above all his own sensory and world experience.
The accompagnying exhibition
With this overview, Yadegar Asisi also considers the evolution of art under the influence of technologies such as photography at the time, right up to today's AI models (AI = Artificial Intelligence). Impressionism marked the beginning of a period that has seen a completely free development of motifs, themes and painting techniques right up to the present day. In the accompanying exhibition, which features well over 100 of Asisi's works spanning more than 30 years of artistic creation, visitors will discover an exciting potpourri of painting, craft and digitisation.
Guided tours
The exhibition can be visited individually or as part of a guided tour. Public guided tours are organised daily at 11 am, 12 am, 2 pm and 3 pm. (Only in German)
Private guided tours for groups (€65 in German/ €70 in English) can be booked via service(at)panometer.de.
Background of the panorama
Yadegar Asisi began to work on his unique panorama THE CATHEDRAL OF MONET back in 2016. Due to the size of the canvas (6x 2 meters) and the special painting technique in impressionist style, it would take several years for Yadegar Asisi to complete the panorama in his studio.
The starting point for his work was Claude Monet's series of 33 paintings of Rouen Cathedral from 1892 to 1894. Claude Monet discovered the cathedral during a trip in 1892 and began painting there immediately. Over the next two years, he returned to Rouen several times to continue his series of paintings of the cathedral. Rouen is still rightly regarded as the capital of Impressionism today. In addition to Claude Monet, painters such as Sisley, Pissarro and Gauguin also immortalized the city. The 33 works from Monet's series of paintings can now be found in various museums around the world.
However, before Asisi could begin work on the panorama, he first reconstructed the cathedral square with the surrounding houses from around 1890 using historical photographs. Only then did the actual painting in impressionist style begin.
The first version of the circular painting was successfully shown in Rouen (France) at the PANORAMA XXL location in 2020.
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