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Francie Hester
Resident June-July 2024
Resident 001:
Francie Hester
Artist's Statement
I visited Monte San Martino in the fall of 2023 and saw the remarkable Crivelli altarpiece for the first time. Crivelli, speaking to me from more than 500 years ago, inspired me on a new journey.
The town and the Crivelli reminded me of the physical beauty of an unfolding archway – an entrance – a curve of the road – a blind turn – a centre of town – a ringed wall – a piazza – an inner sanctuary.
Returning to my studio, I began by drawing memory points from my visit – arches, roads, trees, rolling hills, sea, mountains. The archway took hold as the primary shape. It symbolizes the idea of a threshold, a passageway, a portal. The next step was to abstract the archway into multiple fragmented painted shapes.
Each abstracted piece I have created tells part of a story. When I return to Monte San Martino, I will piece together the painted shapes, inspired by place, people, Crivelli, and the history of Monte San Martino.
The residency will be another pathway for me – a magical story will unfold.
I am not sure exactly where it will take me, but that is the fun of it.
Unfolding
Inspired By the Crivelli Alter Pieces
There are moments time does not let us forget, moments time is suspended, moments embedded in time, and moments time offers us the “in between”—the liminal space between the physical and spiritual worlds.
This describes the transformative moment when I saw, for the first time, the work of Vittore and Carlo Crivelli in Monte San Martino.
The Crivelli altarpiece – a timeless masterpiece – uniquely places the viewer and the painter in conversation. He presented an exchange of ideas, combining history, religion and humanity in a manner I had not seen or experienced before.
I wanted to capture the sensation of viewing the Crivelli altarpiece. I chose the format of a diptych – two half-circles, pivoting around the space “in between.” The rich colours, the glowing gold evoke and reflects upon the colours found in Crivelli’s work.
This piece is a marker of a moment that will always be with me. A gift.