Overlay in Black

Overlay in Black is a static shot of the process of a painting being done on a transparent glass surface, situated between the camera and a natural landscape. The borders of the glass are not visible in the image, as it stands parallel to the camera and occupies the whole field of view. Initially this surface is not perceptible, but as the painter appears behind it, reflections render it visible.

The painter positions himself behind the glass and begins to isolate the areas to be painted with masking tape. The painting consists of two horizontal black stripes, at the top and bottom limits of the glass, that narrow the view of the landscape beyond, in an attempt to reconfigure the image. The black stripes function as a reference to the letterbox effect that is a consequence of the conversion of a widescreen 16:9 image to a 4:3 format.