British light artist Chris Levine’s 3D lenticular portrait of the Dalai Lama is currently on show for the first time at The Fine Art Society in Mayfair until July 7. Created in 2015 in celebration of the Dalai Lama’s 80th birthday, Levine’s “Compassion” is only the second formal portrait of His Holiness after Annie Leibovitz’s 1990 portrait of the spiritual leader.Chris Levine is best known for his “Lightness of Being” portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, and “She's Light,” an image of Kate Moss. His luminous portrait of the Dalai Lama, created using 3D technology, will be sold in six different limited editions ranging from small prints to large 3D lenticular portraits, with all proceeds going to charities involved in the 2015 Nepal earthquakes relief effort.Commenting on the opportunity to capture the Dalai Lama, Levine said in a statement: “He is an extraordinary human being and I'm humbled to have created his portrait. It was a personal ambition, and that it came to me was something of a blessing. There was a kind of magic involved in how this commission came about. It's as if there was a higher power directing and I was just carrying out a duty.”Levine’s “Compassion” portrait is currently on display in a specially created meditation room as part of The Fine Art Society’s 140th anniversary exhibition (June 6 to July 7). BLOUIN ARTINFO got in touch with Levine to find out more about the portrait and his experience with the Dalai Lama.What led to you creating a portrait of the Dalai Lama?After the Queen, I was often asked who I’d like to shoot most. I always said the Dalai Lama, and somehow the universe delivered. It was quite strange — I went to meet a friend who I’d not seen for a while and when I saw him, his phone rang. It was the curator appointed by Tibet House to determine the artist to carry out the portrait, saying that he understood he knew me and asking him to introduce us. He handed the phone over to me. It was meant to be.Could you explain the technology you used to create the work?Essentially, the 3D is captured by a stills camera moving along a track in front of the subject. We use approximately 40 frames, shot from left to right, and the images are interlaced together into a single print. When a lenticular lens is placed on top of the seemingly out of focus print, the lens separates the images so the viewer only sees two at any one time. If these two images are what is known as a stereo pair — that is left and right eye views — then the result is a convincing 3D image.How did you approach the depiction of such a revered and respected figure?As with all my subjects, my objective is to make a soulful connection to the person that somehow transcends the physical. Because I only had limited time with His Holiness, I needed to be sure I could achieve this. And by requesting that he sit in meditation, I knew the result would make a strong connection with whoever sat in front of the work, as if you are sitting in prayer with him.What did you aim to express about the Dalai Lama?His Holiness is the spiritual leader of our time and I wanted an iconic image that would represent all he stands for. I wanted to create a work that made a brief meditative space for those who view it, and in the case of the 3D lightbox, the mirrored finish puts the viewer’s reflection in the same space as His Holiness. There is a power in stillness, and hopefully, if just for a moment, the viewer connects with it as if in meditation.
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