A Library Burning
Portuguese: A biblioteca em fogo, French: La bibliothèque en feu;
(image viewable via museum record)
ArtistMaria Helena Vieira da Silva
Year1974
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions158.4 cm × 178.4 cm (62.4 in × 70.2 in)
LocationCentro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian, Lisbon

A Library Burning (La bibliothèque en feu; A biblioteca em fogo) is an oil on canvas painting by the Portuguese artist Maria Helena Vieira da Silva, created in 1974. It is held at the Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian, in Lisbon.[1]

Description

Maria Helena Vieira da Silva, was a student of Fernand Léger, and Roger Bissière, and was a member of the "Second School of Paris"[2]

This painting shows a brownish-framed series of vertical rectangles that are reminiscent of books on library shelves. The title may allude to the burning of the Library of Alexandria.[2]

The whole is painted in muted tones of red and brown and is highly reminiscent of the artist's work for the Church of St. James in Reims, where modern windows were installed to replace those damaged in World War I. She won the window commission, with the Czech painter Josef Sima. The windows were designed during the years 1966-1976, while she was working in the workshop of master glazier Jacques Simon (1890-1974) who also worked with Marc Chagall on his windows in the nearby Reims Cathedral.[3] Sima was known for his book bindings and symmetrical shapes.

References

  1. ↑ "La bibliothèque en feu [A biblioteca em fogo] - CAM - Centro de Arte Moderna". CAM - Centro de Arte Moderna (in European Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2016-06-01. Retrieved 2016-05-01.
  2. 1 2 "A Library on Fire". www.europeana.eu. Retrieved 2016-05-01.
  3. ↑ Mrugala, Fabrice. "FRANCE, MARNE, REIMS, EGLISE ST-JACQUES". medieval.mrugala.net. Retrieved 2016-05-01.
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