Polychromie Architecturale - Lisette Schumacher

This installation displays a variety of colours that come together in total harmony. Entering a dialogue with the new gallery space, the installation Polychromie Architecturale invites the public to interact with its components. The installation consists of three large-scale wooden sculptures with curved or angular shapes. The playful character of the sculptures invite the public to interact by means of standing inside, sitting in front of or walking through the sculptures in different routes.

Tones varying from terra to cerulean are derived from the Polychromie Architecturale, a colour system which was commissioned by wallpaper company Salubra and developed by Le Corbusier in 1931. He combined 43 colours in atmospheric moods like ‘masonry’, ‘space’ and ‘velvet’. He expanded the collection in 1959 by adding 20 deep and bright tones. His selection of colours was subjective; he chose colours with a historical, artistic or associative context, with the aim to create harmony in the interior and exterior of homes and buildings. Le Corbusier created a dictated colour picking system using a visual slider with a limited amount of colours, arranged in different themes and set combinations. In this way the customer would always pick the right combination according to their taste. Lisette selected colour combinations for her sculptures using this colour keyboard.

By applying a selection of original colour tones to three-dimensional objects, Lisette translated the Polychromie Architecturale into an immersive environment of colour. The distinction between material and immaterial becomes evident. Chromatic and neutral colour tones combined with the flowing, organic shapes of the installation form a balanced harmonious whole that visitors can experience in a unique and interactive way.

The installation was on show during Polychromie Architecturale (exploring harmony in colour) , the solo by Lisette Schumacher (Root Gallery, 2021)

Polychromie Architecturale
Wood and lacquer, 2021
half-cylinder in ultramarine blue - 250 x 500 x 130 cm 
S sculpture in bright yellow and cerulean blue - 250 x 310 x 155 cm
Angular sculpture in off-white and cerulean medium blue - 190 x 122 x 65 cm
Angular sculpture in terra sienna and cerulean light blue- 170 x 122 x 65 cm
Angular sculpture in pale pink - 130 x 122 x 65 cs

This installation is a unique piece, developed by Lisette Schumacher and team in collaboration with Root Gallery. If you would like to receive more information about this installation - or the possibilities for commissioned work - don’t hesitate to send us an email: contact@root.gallery.