The mirror is an important element in western painting, and its most important role is to show what cannot be seen. The mirror extends the field of the canvas. Some time ago I, was working on woodcuts entitled Mirror. These woodcuts are not yet complete. They wait in my studio to be finished. They have raised a technical question for which I have not yet found an answer. When I shall find it, I will restart. It keeps me busy. There is also the question of the role of mirrors in our world. Mirrors play an important role in a world in which supervision has invaded our actions.

Hokusai admirant le Mont Fuji dans le rétroviseur

Mirrors have been replaced by webcams playing the same role. I think of mirrors in a window used to check who is ringing on the door, now replaced by webcams. But let us return to the mirror. In many respects woodcuts are certainly not the best way to depict a mirror, and indeed when one looks at woodcuts, usually a mirror is seldom used or included.

Rétrovision et attendant sur le bord de la route

Rétrovision à la nature morte

Another element is our lifestyle. We spend a lot of time in a car. This is a new phenomena that can be explored in art. What do we do while we drive? We spend our time looking around us. We see the world through the windscreen, and through the rear view mirrors. We have the future in front of us, and the past behind. Of course, what is behind can play a role in the future. When I want to turn left, I check to make sure nothing will interfere. Thus evolved my interest in playing with the rear view mirror.

Rétrovision à la nature morte

Rétrovision à la nature morte

Surprisingly, the word retrovision does not exist in the English dictionary: it is taken from the French rétroviseur, which is the name of rear view mirrors. With mirrors we can see what cannot be seen obviously, thus they play a magical role for us, perhaps they give us a vision of our destiny ? So, I am working on my retrovision set of woodcuts, as what is to me a contemporary view of the mirror.

Have a good retrovision !

Taipei May 2003

JF. Baltzen