Illuminated River have partnered with Art UK to produce the virtual exhibition The Thames Bridges in Light and Colour.
Leo Villareal, the Illuminated River artist, joins a long tradition of artists who have been inspired by the Thames and its bridges, as he transformed so many of the City’s bridges with light installations. His light compositions mimic the ever-changing movement of the river, using shifting hues drawn from the London sky during sunset, through nightfall and under moonlight.
In this online exhibition, Villareal selects paintings of the next bridges to be illuminated, from artists whose approach to light and colour has resonance with his own. Featuring pieces by Canaletto, Monet and Whistler, to contemporary artists like Frank Bowling, the exhibition can be viewed here on the ArtUK website.
You can read Leo Villareal’s responses to the chosen paintings and discover how they have informed his mesmerising light artwork. Take a walk down to the river around sunset to see his artwork, then rush home to experience this warm digital exhibition in the warmth of your own home.
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Leo Villareal on the image above: “We are up hight at an interesting eye level that the artist could not have physically experienced in this stylised painting. The precise geometric strokes that mark Lambeth Bridge in red correspond nicely to the iconic double-decker buses. All of this occurs within a generally muted and pastel environment.
“Westminster and its surroundings are painstakingly rendered. I am most interested in the water and the way the currents are depicted by arching forms. The reflection of the bridge is fascinating in its brown and almost pointillist strokes.”
To access the exhibition, follow the link here.
