Caspar Western Friedrich

Artists’ studio for cowboys

Caspar Western Friedrich combines the narrative force of the Western with the dreamy longings of Romanticism. Drawing his inspiration from the lonesome cowboy and from the paintings and personality of Caspar David Friedrich – one of the most important landscape painters of German Romanticism – Philippe Quesne builds a studio of landscapes on stage. This artist’s studio transforms the actors into painters of their own being. Just like in Westerns, they recall memories around the campfire, which they interweave with poetry and literature from the German repertoire. Caspar Western Friedrich meanders towards an unreachable horizon as time flows calmly on. Quesne created the piece in January 2016 at the Münchner Kammerspiele with the actor Johan Leysen, amongst others.

• Having studied visual arts, Philippe Quesne worked as a scenographer for theatres and museums. In 2003 he founded his company Vivarium Studio. With actors, visual artists and musicians, he creates performances as installations or vivaria in which to study the human microcosm. He has previously appeared at Kaaitheater with L’effet de Serge, La mélancolie des dragons, Big Bang, Swamp Club, Next Day (with Campo) and The night of the moles. He has been co-director of Théâtre Nanterre-Amandiers since January 2014.