From Wednesday 17 May 2023, Domaine de Rocheville will be hosting “Dreamlike Spring”, a contemporary art exhibition organised in collaboration with the gallery Le Cactus Bleu. Between painting and photography, the Spanish painter Javier Ortas and the German photographer Andrea Friederichs-du Maire open the doors to their respective worlds.
Between dream and reality: a double exhibition of painting and photography
Following its first artistic event of 2023 (the “Paradisiac Islands / Secret Language” exhibition featuring abstract paintings by Joëlle Dubois and Marianne Goffard), the Domaine de Rocheville is once again collaborating with Le Cactus Bleu, in Indre-et-Loire.
After being exhibited to art lovers at the gallery, the works of two other contemporary artists have crossed the Maine-et-Loire border to take over the large panoramic room, the exhibition space of the Domaine de Rocheville.
Immerse yourself in this new exhibition in the colours of spring, like in a storybook!
Andrea Friederichs-du Maire : digital photographic art and creative self-portraits
Who is Andrea Friederichs-du Maire ?
Andrea Friederichs-du Maire is a self-taught photographic artist living in Hamburg, Germany. After studying occupational therapy and educational sciences, she experimented with several art forms: painting, drawing and goldsmithing.
In 2014, Andrea Friederichs-du Maire created a photo blog where she talks about her inner world. She also writes on subjects related to photographic art, self-awareness, creativity, inspiration and creative blocks.
After studying photo-design, she started working with Photoshop in 2019. In addition to her self-portraits and surreal photo collages, Andrea Friederichs-du Maire creates creative photo portraits.
Aware that many people find it hard to accept themselves, she wants their portrait to allow them to look at themselves from the outside and see themselves differently.
To achieve this, she doesn’t hesitate to play with blur and focus effects, to use different materials and to manipulate light and shadow in the manner of the great Dutch painters.
Andrea Friederichs-du Maire’s inspirations
The photographer’s main theme is what she calls “the poetry of the self”, expressed in dreamlike images. Andrea Friederichs-du Maire uses self-reflection, imagination and intuition to transform her inner experience into colourful tableaux.
To create her photographic works, Andrea Friederichs-du Maire draws inspiration from her dreams, fairy tales and imagination. Each becomes a metaphor for her inner struggle. She deals with herself, her discoveries, her changes and her life experiences with poetry and a touch of humour. Straight from her subconscious, what was hidden becomes visible to the artist and the audience.
“a self-portrait is an excellent opportunity to get to know yourself better, to reflect and to get something creative out of it”.
Andrea Friederichs-du Maire
Her technique: surrealist photo collages
Colourful, poetic and part of the surrealist movement, her artistic creations are essentially self-portraits.
Andrea Friederichs-du Maire produces contemporary photographs digitally processed on a computer using Photoshop software. Somewhere between photography and painting, her works tell whimsical stories to entertain, question and stimulate the viewer.
Thirteen of the artist’s works can currently be seen at the Domaine de Rocheville.
In “Between the trees“, for example, the artist’s little red silhouette plays hide-and-seek in a birch forest.
“Sleepwalker” depicts a night scene in which a sleepwalker walks along the edge of a cliff, while “Diving into a new obession” shows her diving into a glass of red wine.
Take a close look at all the paintings, because they respond to each other and there are winks from one creation to the next.
Javier Ortas : watercolour painting
Who is Javier Ortas ?
Javier Ortas is a Spanish watercolour painter. Born in Madrid in 1966, he now lives and works in Toledo, in central Spain.
From an early age, he studied oil painting. He then went on to learn other techniques on a self-taught basis, before turning his hobby into a profession in 2011.
He regularly exhibits his paintings in art galleries in Spain and occasionally in Europe. His work has won awards in painting competitions, including the Sala Baluarte prize and the Watercolour Medal of the Spanish Association of Painters and Sculptors.
Nature and city life, the two sources of inspiration for Javier Ortas
The works of this contemporary painter are inspired by city life, having lived in very large cities such as Madrid, Mexico City and Los Angeles. However, many of his watercolours also incorporate nature, his other passion.
A red car (“Un coche rojo“) and a tree-lined road (“Una carretera con arboles“) stand alongside two fishermen on a bridge (“Dos pescadores en el puente“) and children at a campsite (“Ninos en el campo”).
Using soft, spring-like colours, Javier Ortas likes to paint everyday scenes. He invents endearing characters without using models, and his brush brings to life elements from his imagination. His aim is to show the beauty of things and people by going straight to the essentials, in a naïve, uncluttered style.
A very personal style, based on coloured lines
It’s hard to admire the paintings of Javier Ortas without thinking of naive art. But make no mistake: beneath the apparent simplicity of the coloured lines, geometric shapes and interplay of volume and perspective lies a mastery of watercolour painting.
With confident brushstrokes, the artist creates her compositions in a cheerful, resolutely personal style. Exclusive, original paintings that reveal the uniqueness of her talent…
Eleven large-format paintings by the artist Javier Ortas can be seen at the Domaine de Rocheville during May and June.
Practical information to discover Dreamlike Spring exhibition
Art and wine in the Saumur region
In the village of Parnay, 8 kilometres from Saumur, Domaine de Rocheville is ideally situated in the heart of the Saumur Champigny vineyards, on the rocky hillside overlooking the Loire.
With its modern, eco-responsible winery and certified organic wines, the winery has been committed to preserving biodiversity since its creation.
Since 2004, it has been producing white, rosé and red AOC Saumur Champigny, Saumur Blanc and Saumur Rosé Loire wines, as well as AOC Crémant de Loire sparkling wines.
In addition to his work as an independent winemaker, Rocheville combines the pleasures of wine tourism (wine tasting and sales at the estate, guided tours, afterworks on the terrace, etc.) with those of art, organising temporary exhibitions of photography, painting and drawing.
Since the construction of its modular space equipped with picture rails in 2014 (tasting room/reception/seminars), the Domaine de Rocheville has supported contemporary creation by exhibiting the works of local artists-painters, photographers or draughtsmen-but also from other regions of France, and even internationally.
It has welcomed artists as varied as Andrée de Frémont, Alain Fournier, Estelle Séré, Odette Bocher, Denis Charrier, Francis Deport, Philippe Siriot, Alain Campo-Paysaa, Michèle Lepeintre, Cécile Filipe, Marilyn MacGregor, Npier, Pierre Fuentès, Laure Saigne, Joëlle Dubois, Marianne Goffard…
Practical information
Accrochage des œuvres et vernissage : le 17 mai 2023
Horaires pour visiter l’exposition :
Hanging of works and preview: 17 May 2023
Take advantage of your visit to discover or rediscover the estate’s wines and new vintages.
And because there’s always something to fall in love with, don’t forget that the works are for sale 😉
Exhibition place :
Domaine de Rocheville, Chemin de Béniquet / Les Hauts de Valbrun, 49730 Parnay, France (Loire Valley)
Free admission
Event accessible to people with reduced mobility
The Domaine de Rocheville regularly holds exhibitions. To be invited to our openings, register below.