Lisette Schumacher

Lives in Amsterdam and holds a studio in Rotterdam (NL)

Lisette Schumacher graduated from the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam and always had an interest in architecture. In 2017 she developed a special interest in the life and work of French/Swiss architect Le Corbusier. Lisette visits his projects and buildings which are of a great influence for her paintings. In an interview with Kunstuitleen Rotterdam she explains the influences:

“I take details of what I noticed during my stay or visit in the buildings of Le Corbusier and use that as a starting point. The lighting effect in the buildings plays a major role in this. You could say that I magnify details and translate them into abstract work. After a visit it takes a while before I have processed all the experiences. This is followed by a time of brooding and the first impressions arise: ideas about how I could translate my experiences into images. Then I start sketching for months and make material and technique tests. Sometimes I even dream about a Le Corbusier building. Then I walk through it and I see all the details very clearly.”

About the use of color she says:
“Did you know that Le Corbusier once came up with 63 unique color shades that you can combine via a dictated system? He called this color theory the Polychromie Architecturale. Only one manufacturer has been given the exclusive color codes by the Fondation Le Corbusier, the foundation that manages his legacy and estate. Those shades are on the market and I plan to use them on my next project. Being able to work with the exact color tones that Le Corbusier developed and used in the interiors of his designs is a great new step. To translate the lighting effect in Le Corbusier’s buildings, I also ended up with neon. I was looking for pigments that give off light, which draws you into the image, just as the colored light in a monastery and chapel continued to attract me.