Some museum-goers find it hard to contain their disbelief when they see a world-famous masterpiece in person, even though they’ve only seen a copy in advance. Peruvian miniature artist Ana Sophia Casaverde also created Claude Monet’s “Woman with a Parasol by Madame Monet and her Son(1875) was first exhibited at the National Gallery in Washington, DC. What made her experience of Casaverde stand out was that she brought her own stamp-sized replica of the painting. This was a feat as impressive as her original work itself, given that she painted with the head of a needle.
Painted by Casaverde himself, Monet measures less than an inch square and is as much a challenge as it is a passion. Casaverde studies the artist’s practices and influences to better understand the artist’s message before embarking on the creation of miniature replicas. “I challenge myself to see how much can be conveyed in a small drop while maintaining the essence of the original painting,” said the artist. highly allergenic. “When I start painting, I feel like I’m so focused that everything around me disappears.”
Right: Ana Sophia Casaverde, ‘La Pequeña Mujer con Sombrilla’ (2021), paint on card, 0.47 x 0.56 inches (photo courtesy, artist courtesy)
The artist described the experience of combining “La Pequeña Mujer con Sombrilla” (2021) with Monet’s original work as “one of the happiest moments of my life”. She smiled to herself as the museum guide recounted the details of Monet’s work, such as the suggestive wind that transforms the woman’s dress and the yellow paint flecks that, in the Impressionist style, signify light, she said.
“I imagined all these details the day I made the miniature version, but I never thought that because of my work, I would at some point see the original,” Casaverde continued, saying she went to New York to see the group exhibition. small is beautiful This included a miniature of her before her visit to Washington DC.
She started with a few works by Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh, accompanied by folded paper sculptures, and has completed about eight other painting replicas in her ongoing series of micromasterpieces.
“This series started when I made a Vincent van Gogh miniature, and I knew I needed a mini-painting of him,” Casaverde explained. “It was my first time making it. So ‘La Nochecita Estrellada’ (2021) was born.”
In fact, artists were inspired by Van Gogh’s witty work and started painting with needles, citing Van Gogh as an inspiration to create their own little paintings using what was at hand. However, Casaverde is more than just a miniaturist, he does more than just make replicas.
Artists are skilled in bite-sized origami and cut-paper sculptures. Both are evident in her ‘Littlest Flowershop’ on display in 2022. Small things are beautiful. As an interior designer, Casaverde started with mock-up models of furniture that got smaller and smaller.
“Being able to use my hands to imagine objects at different scales feeds my curiosity and creativity,” Casaverde explained. “I am very impressed with the finished work. I think it is beautiful that something so small can say so much.”
