Marc Chalmè’s Still Light exhibit is exactly what the name implies. It seems that the day was stopped when the lighting is most dramatic in order to capture a moment that is not still at all. Some of the paintings capture the subject staring into the light. A woman opening a door to walk out, another setting the table, walking a bicycle along an otherwise empty street. The light has been paused at those beautiful times when the atmosphere is warm and eerie. That magical time when just for a moment, we all turn to gold.

Chalmè masterfully renders the relationship between shadow and light. Perhaps this is what Vermeer’s work would be like if he lived in the 21st century.

In another painting, a light shines on the corner of a house on an otherwise unlit and abandoned street and beautifully exhibits Chalmè’s understanding of how light has transform an otherwise banal scene into one of mystery and otherworldliness.

Marc Chalmè was born in a seaside town in Brittany, France. He studied under artist and Prix de Rome winner Georges Pichon. His works have been shown throughout Europe in multiple galleries, and his most recent exhibition in France was critically acclaimed by Gazette Drouot, France’s largest fine arts auction house review. Chalmè specializes in creating paintings of mysterious landscapes, still-lifes, and figurative pieces.