This stunning work by Canadian artist Wanda Koop depicts Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris. Koop was living in Paris in 1991 and stayed not too far from the cathedral. The artist started making small sketches of the magnificent building and completed a series of tiny sketchbooks on Notre-Dame. Back in her studio, she made larger drawings with Indian ink on large sheets of glassine – the paper Parisian florists wrap flowers in. Koop would revisit the Notre-Dame theme again after the 2019 fire.
Seen here, through three layers of semi-transparent paper, is the eastern façade of Notre-Dame as observed from the Île Saint-Louis. The foreground depicts the lush trees flanking the park around the cathedral. The middle layer depicts the iconic spire that collapsed during the 2019 fire. Depicted then too are Notre-Dame’s famous twin towers and soaring buttresses.
This large piece is composed of three semi-transparent sheets pinned to the backing of the frame. The frame measures 32”x40” (81x102 cm).