Infra-Earth, Chromatic Incursion

From parietal paintings from prehistoric times to the present day, minerals are at the origin of most of the colors we know. Caroline Besse, painter-decorator in residence at the Institut des sciences de la terre de Paris (ISTeP) since June 2022, wanted to experiment with the development of mineral pigments and set off in search of the extraordinary wealth of the sub-worldFrench field in partnership with Erwan Martin, professor-researcher in geology at Sorbonne University. Within the mineral collection, their art-science dialogue has been enriched by a reflection on colour: its origins, its history and its perception by the human eye.
The exhibition Infra-Terre, Incursion chromatique is hosted within the Sorbonne University mineral collection until November 4, 2023. University collection gathering more than 500 of the 4,200 known species and counting among the most beautiful collections in France, it remains open to the public from Tuesday to Saturday from 13h to 18h, while maintaining close links with the university’s research and teaching teams.