The series "le Singe peintre" was created between 2018 and 2020. Each painting quotes a sometimes world-famous portrait from different periods of European art history. Impressive paintings have been created using elaborate techniques - the faces alone all show monkeys.
Two reflexes compete with each other: The observer is tempted to recognize the model for the respective painting - is Jan van Eyck quoted or Rogier van der Weyden? And is immediately interrupted with the thought, because the contexts, from which the monkeys could originate, never fully define the image. And yet the depiction of the monkeys is clearly iconographically occupied: Traditionally, man's closest relative stands for unreasonableness, at times also for selfishness and stupidity.
The series is characterized by its enormous tension: Stefan à Wengen does not seem to take the motif too seriously, however the technical brilliance does not correspond with this impression. Is it criticism? A joke? With ease Stefan à Wengen questions the abilities of painters, the vanity of the portrayed and the self-assurance of interpreters.
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