Peindre la nuit

“Painting the night” – at first, the idea seems incongruous, paradoxical. But the night has always held a fascination for painters, whether portraying it or inhabiting it. Painting darkness or painting in darkness – either way, a choice must be made whether to improve one’s night vision or abandon it altogether. Painting without seeing, either because our perception is limited or because we opt to throw off the shackles of sight. That is the dilemma at the heart of the exhibition planned by the Centre Pompidou-Metz from this autumn. Almost twenty years after the wonderful show “Die Nacht” (The Night) held at Munich’s Haus der Kunst, “Painting the night” is a new exploration of a central theme in the history of art, focusing on the changes that have occurred since the end of the 19th century up to the present day. Bear in mind that during this period, three major developments revolutionised the way in which we perceive the night and how it affects us.

The first was the discovery of electricity and appearance of lighting, which gradually transformed nocturnal life and habits. The second related to the development of psychoanalysis: all of a sudden, the dreams and impulses that had made the inner night a thing of mystery and dread were laid bare. Lastly, the third is linked to space exploration: the deepest, darkest night is becoming less of a puzzle, both the past and the future can be read in it, and we are even able to send human beings into it. Allied to these three revolutionary developments are the three confusions of the night: the confusion of direction, because perception is altered, particularly under urban lights; the internal confusion, comprising obsession and insomnia, dreams and nightmares; and finally, a cosmic confusion, such as one feels when contemplating a star-filled sky. Exploring these three sensations through the work of major artists or discovering them alongside the important installations of contemporary artists, the exhibition itself aims to be a nocturnal experience, a wander around that turns the visitor into a night owl and leads them from Winslow Homer, Claude Monet and Piet Mondrian to Helen Frankenthaler, Peter Doig, Gerhard Richter, or Ann Craven, Lala Rukh and Navid Nuur.

Broaching a subject as vast as the night means being able to ask fundamental questions about the human condition and our place in the universe, but also about the role and power of art. What about painting? How has it managed to “tame” the night? How has it managed to communicate its substance and the feeling that something is passing us by and has no rationale? Painting the night is like the star-filled sky: it cannot be captured in the blink of an eye, nor be easily reproduced. It cultivates mystery.