Rachelle Cunningham, "Afternoon Tea"

Artsper went to meet Rachelle Cunningham, a painter based in Paris. Her poetic work finds its roots in personal experience, writing, and nature. Between exterior inspiration and personal experience, discover the universe of this young Irish artist, who skillfully reinvents the Renaissance and romanticism to the contemporary scene.

1. Hello Rachelle. You come from Dublin, Ireland, but you live in Paris and seem to live a real Parisian lifestyle. Why did you choose this? How does the French capital inspire you? 

I have been brought up with the french culture having been in french lycées since I was little. One summer, I came to Paris when I was 11, my parents lost me in the Louvre. I remember walking through the grand golden corridors and saw the paintings of Leonardo Da Vinci & Giuseppe Arcimboldo. The details! The colors! The whole experience inspired me, so when I had the blessed opportunity to come back, I took it. Paris is an incredible backdrop to the characters that I create in my pieces; there are such delicate details everywhere you look. Inspiration runs through the veins of the city, and the community of creative people here is incredible, another reason why I stay here.

2. Fashion seems to be very important in your work. How do these two areas come together for you? 

Fashion, in my eyes, enables one to add to the story and enhance the experience. It plays a large role in identifying cultures and time periods, a concept I enjoy exploring within my pieces. The series My Art & Me explores costume design & storytelling. It allows me to encapsulate whatever character I dream to embody. The process of creating my works often is tied from inspiration with cinema & theatre; how I create is an art form in my eyes. I love the drama of the music in the background, I am mesmerized each time with how the materials intertwine and come to life... with fashion, it adds to the piece!

Photo on the left: Rachelle Cunningham,  "Une promenade au Musée Bourdelle" / Photo on the right : Rachelle Cunningham, "Bella Hadid"

3. Both baroque and romantic influences can be found in your universe, what are the secrets, or the characteristics, of your style? Has one particular experience influenced your art? 

The renaissance techniques of chiaroscuro & sfumato can be found in my work. I enjoy capturing the minute details on small-scale paintings to enhance this intimacy that we sometimes lack with art. I also enjoy juxtaposing the realism of the objects next to the fantasy of the story of the piece. Three years ago, I found my style whilst in my darkest state. I was in bed for almost a year, all I saw was darkness. But in finding my way out of that place, I ended up finding my escapism from the pain with the style I paint today. The romanticism art movement of emphasizing one's emotions & transforming it into the sublime is perhaps the one ongoing characteristic that runs through the soul of my work. The more I grow, overcome, & heal from what has been rooted in me, the freer my gestures & brushstrokes have become, the more layers are found and details added. 

4. Which artists (contemporary or not) particularly inspire you? 

In my life, I've been more inspired by writers, film directors, designers, and musicians than specific fine artists. Creatives like Patrick Süskind, Giuseppe Arcimboldo, William Shakespeare, Baz Luhrmann, Edgar Allen Poe, Walt Disney, Alexander McQueen, Peggy Lee, Chopin, Dolce & Gabbana, Irving Penn, Milena Canonero... The list goes on! I get the most inspiration from people who are most authentically themselves and have created a world of their own.

Photo on the left : Rachelle Cunningham, "Dripping In Nature" / Photo on the right : Rachelle Cunningham, "Oh Monsieur !"

5. Your illustrations invite people to daydream and think about nature. Where do these ideas come from? Do your own dreams inspire you to create? 

I find society is losing touch with their bodies and nature. We've begun to act & think more mechanically rather than intuitively. We're not as connected with the energies the world exudes as our ancestors once were. Nature is simply the most powerful thing there is and it's a beautiful & majestic creature that we have the incredible gift to live on. Ideas of this flow from just having a human experience on this earth and tapping into the details, seeing things in the present moment. That's what inspires me! But so do my dreams. Each night it's a different world, I'm someone who always has her head in the clouds! I love imagining & fantasizing new stories to be told. 

6. Your art elevates women. What message do you want to pass on? Is your work in line with feminist values? 

I believe being a woman is being however you feel a woman should be. Live only to your own expectations of what that word means. But I know that we are strong and powerful creatures that when we come together we can truly create such a difference. Never be fearful to be exactly who you are because that's when the magic happens.

7. Do you have any current or upcoming projects? 

I am currently working on a new series during this confinement called Paris Perdu, available for purchase here on Artsper! A love letter to the night, an ode to the artists, the creatures that come out to play past midnight. The world of cinema, theatre, dance, song, the cafes and bars where our bodies meet, crowds with their cigarettes fumes dancing through the dim golden lights, those red wine kisses and drunken lovers have ceased and we've been left with the emptiness of just a lit street lamp. In this unknown period in history as I sit confined in my small studio, I want to capture these longingful atmospheres through my brushstrokes and velvety colors, watching the materials and stories intertwine in hopes to rediscover my Paris not so perdu.