Sfumato

Sfumato is an oil painting technique invented by Renaissance painters in order to introduce greater depth into their paintings. Shapes become more vague, sharp contours disappear, and more attention is paid to shadows, whose dark surfaces become more finely toned. This portrait of contemporary Norman artist Bernard Legay uses the film equivalent of the technique, observing the artist at work within the darkened spaces of his studio, in the dingy interiors of crumbling industrial structures, and in the gloom of the intractable Norman countryside. The movie takes an intimate look into the solitary life of an artist who creates his work in isolation, out of the public eye. His artifacts are inevitably determined by the surrounding environment, whose textures and materiality are an inseparable part of the creative process. Yet so are the past experiences of an artist who always carries with him a reminiscence of his mother's death. No flashy visuals here: the film reflects an intimate, tactile experience. (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)