Morocco is celebrated by two (beautiful)
painters on the left bank
Elena Prentice and Régis de Martrin-Donos do not know each other but they both recently opened an exhibition of Moroccan paintings, one at galerie Documents 15, on rue de l’Echaudé, the other at 40 rue de l’Université at galerie Mercier. They have in common the fabulous light of the Mediterranean and painting in the open. Prentice concentrates on skies and the ocean in Tangiers. Martrin-Donos travels all around on the tracks of Eugène Delacroix who followed the French ambassador between Tangiers and Meknès, in 1832. Both series of works are beautiful and very affordable.
Out of the 59 paintings, I was mostly impressed by Martrin-Donos’ works of the desert and of the mountains. Their dryness and stern looks. Boumalne Dades at sunset, Ouled Essi Masseoud, Foum Zguid, all mysterious names of landscapes which alternate with Marrakech, Tangiers or Essaouira. Towns disappear in the sand like Aït Ben Haddou or Tinghir. The sea appears in Larache and in Lagzira. The painter spent three months driving around in a pick up truck transformed into a painting studio. During the day he painted in the open and in the heat, at night he slept with the paintings while they were drying. Morocco and its light were a complete discovery for him. He had previously painted in Spain and in Italy.
Elena Prentice’s 42 watercolors are almost abstract and very strong in color. Born and raised in Boston, she used to visit her grand parents who were diplomat in Tangiers. In the text she wrote for the catalog, Nancy Huston describes the Tangerine colors of the skies (the word comes from the Moroccan town) and the grey water which reminds her of the ocean in Cape Cod where Prentice grew up. There is intense poetry in these layers of paint which contain incredible strength. Prentice has exhibited many times before at Documents 15, with her companion Gustave de Staël but this time she has achieved a new step.
Régis de Martrin-Donos is until February 22 at Galerie Mercier, 40 rue de l’Université from 1.000 € to 4.000 €. Elena Prentice is until March 15 at Documents 15, 15 rue de l’Echaudé, from 450 € to 2.800 €. Both galleries only open in the afternoon from Tuesday to Saturday.
