© patrizia luchetta / RTL Today
Last night’s vernissage for “Portrait de Leurs Altesses Royales” by Jacques Schneider was a huge success, and a deserved one, or so we say.
The photographer has imagined a series of portraits of Grand-Duc Henri and Grand-Duchess Maria Teresa, reinterpreted by applying the techniques of polychromy, ink and varnish oil on photography.
The central portrait remains the same throughout the exhibit; it is the background that tells the story . . . of 37 years of marriage. Some backgrounds refer to official visits, some represent moments that Schneider has spent with the royal couple which touched him personally.
© patrizia luchetta / RTL Today
And then there are portraits with a uniform background in different colors, because colors change the perspective we have on things and people, they let us see them in another light, Schneider says.
© patrizia luchetta / RTL Today
We were so intrigued by Schneider’s approach that we decided to also do a portrait… of the artist, in 3 questions:
Why this interest for the Grand-Ducal court?
Grand-Duke Henri is the only person who has really allowed me to create. When I mentioned the project to him and asked for his feedback, he simply answered: you are the artist. There was no censorship from him nor from his spouse. And I do immensely appreciate the exchanges that I had the privilege to have with His Royal Highness. He never judged or took a position, but always asked the right questions. Highly intelligent people tend to do that.
Is there a reason for choosing the 37th anniversary?
Not really. Just a coincidence. As is, by the way, the fact that the couple wed on Saint-Valentine’s day. They explained that at the time they were offered several possible dates for the wedding. Since they wanted to marry as quickly as possible, they chose the first date, which happened to be on 14 February, Valentine’s Day.
What does Valentine’s Day mean to you, personally?
It’s a bit like Christmas, isn’t it? Do we really need a date to show our love to someone else? I like to think that love doesn’t need specific dates to be displayed, shared or declared.
The exhibition can be visited until 2 March 2018 at Kritzel Fabrik Jacques Schneider, 3 Rue Jean Origer, L-2269 Luxembourg
