To make bubbles under water. Blow a little air. Allow the body to better stay at the bottom. And the eyes to better admire these mercury balls jostling up to the surface. It’s like blowing glass without being limited by the raw material. Actually, yes. The raw material here is the air. And we must go back in search before diving again.
This weightlessness that you feel when you float lying on the surface … Lightness. As installed in a liquid cloud. Relaxation. No muscle in tension. No pressure points.
“Zero Gravity” 2017©antoinerenault. acrylic on canvas 100x70cm
The liquid element compensates for the force of gravity. And this physical balance seems to naturally turn into serenity. The mind clears up. At best it caresses positive thoughts. Thoughts without gravity.
Archimedes theorized the physical explanation: “Any body, wholly or partially immersed in a stationary fluid, is buoyed up by a force equal to the weight of the fluid displaced”. My father always had a fascination with this phenomenon. And it is undoubtedly by gratitude for his great joys of navigation that he made all his children memorize the formula. Which provided his offspring – moderately equipped for Physics – a furtive joy at the moment when the subject was finally tackled at school.
Yes.. a bit of an odd title for this picture. I just like the name of the place. Agio Nikolaos (Saint Nicholas) is the small rock at the foot of Oia where a chapel is built.
“Agio Nikolaos” 2017©antoinerenault. Acrylic on canvas 50x70cm
A perfect diving spot: 15′ swim away from the cliff. Next to the chapel is a small shelter in which a fisherman keeps his nets dry. To lay in the sun after swimming with the back resting on the warm lime of this old wall is true luxury. Enjoy the sheer beauty of this incredible site. Think of the evening you’ll spend up there, at the top of the cliff. Rejoice in advance of this breathtaking view which gives a supplement of taste to all the flavors of the upcoming dinner.
It comes from a Greek morning. At the foot of Oia, Santorini. I think that was the first swim of the summer 2013. 200 meters down a path in the red cliff, you reach luminous waters.
“L’âme adore nager” 2017©AntoineRenault Acrylic on canvas 100x70cm
The volcanic wall dominates you with all its mass and sinks towards the depths of the Caldera. This makes the first dive a bit intimidating. And then quickly, the pleasure of the water that wraps the body, the clouds of carefree colorful fishes. We forget the abyss and we fly. We felt very low five minutes ago. We suddenly feel very high. And we love it.
To freeze reflections is to catch fugitive forms. They always look alike. And never stop turning into other forms. In an ever-changing unique composition.
I had in mind to paint this image for quite a long time. I asked myself two questions: will I find a way to make the luminosity of this moment? And how will I name this piece? The light finally came. The name is a piece of poem by Louise-Victorinne Ackerman. A French poetess whose name and work I did not know. But I like the music of these words and how they go with this painting.
