Drawing on Religious Renaissance Art, Marc Padeu's Paintings Monumentalize the Quotidian

Drawing on Religious Renaissance Art, Marc Padeu's Paintings Monumentalize the Quotidian

Foregrounding vibrant patterns, swathed in bright fabrics, and illuminated by the sun, the figures in Cameroonian artist Marc Padeu’s paintings are imbued with beguiling gravitas. His large-scale works stem from a fascination with the power of narrative, connecting the Western art historical canon—especially Renaissance titans like Caravaggio—with contemporary experiences of life in Cameroon. Padeu was trained by the church as a fresco painter. …