The Green Feather
A Bird’s-Eye View of the Groeninge Museum
An activity book for primary schools and families In the museum there are sculptures in the rooms and paintings hanging on the walls. We have selected a few for you. In this booklet you will find explanations of these works of art and a series of tasks to do.
You do not have to look at all the works of art in the booklet. Choose the works of art you would like to know more about and look for them in the museum.
Remember! Always keep one metre away from the works of art. You don’t have to poke your nose into a painting to see it properly! Have fun! You are bound to make some exciting discoveries!
And yes, there’s also a green parrot flying around. He escaped from a painting by Jan van Eyck. He thinks he knows everything better… but in fact he means well!
Pardon me, but parakeet! I’m no ecked t a parrot: I’m a ring-n
When you arrive you receive a green feather from this parro… er… parakeet.
Which work of art in this booklet do you think deserves this feather? Look round carefully in the museum during your visit and choose the most beautiful, the funniest, the best work of art! Before you go home again, you can hang the feather on the board in the entrance hall next to the work of art you chose! Has your work of art already received lots of feathers from other children? Or are you its only admirer? Read this before you start! you Read this before Gerard David Judgement of Cambyses | 1498 the paintingthis detail comes also judges,to bejust intheirjudgements. It wasmeantto remind thealdermen,whoinMiddle Ageswere This paintingusedto hanginBruges’ town hall. Why didGerard Daviddosuchascary painting? Look for from. Can youseewhatitwas? on Sisamnes! For thiscrime,KingCambysesimposedahorrible punishment He let himselfbebribed into pronouncingunjust an verdict. This painting tells the ancient Persian story of
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The painting is composed a bit like a strip cartoon.
A painting often shows more than one point in a story, but here you see the whole story in a single work.
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Look for the following parts of the story in the painting: 1. Sisamnes receiving a purse of money in front of his house. 2. Sisamnes being accused of several crimes. King Cambyses counting them on his fingers. 3. Sisamnes being skinned alive. 4. Otanes, Sisamnes’ son, succeeding his father as a judge. He has to sit on a seat upholstered with his father’s skin! Pieter Pourbus Last Judgement | 1551 almost thesameway. people are pictured in Jesus andseveralother Pieter Pourbuswhere the paintingby Look for by Michelangelofrom the SistineChapel This isamural inRome.
up outoftheirgraves. At thebottom ofthepaintingyou seepeople rising He sendsthesinners (=badpeople) to hell. People whohave led agoodlife can goto heaven. In thisstory Jesuspasses judgementonthedead. the Last Judgement. of themuseum,thiswork ofarttells aBible story: Like manyofthepictures inthefirst four rooms I
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! Next to Jesus you can see other Bible figures such as the Apostles (= Jesus’ 12 best friends) and a whole lot of saints.
Which character in this painting do you think is portrayed best? Tell us why.
Can you see the instrument that’s pictured here in the painting too? What instrument is it? The man holding it is King David. The instrument is his attribute. An attribute is an object or animal by which you can recognise a saint and which tells us something about their life. Jheronimus Bosch and Workshop Last Judgement | ± 1500 - 1505 Even atthetimeitwasdonevery unusual. It isavery specialpainting. Jheronimus Bosch. This work waspainted byaclose assistant to themaster-painter These are nottheonly strange creatures inthisbustling painting! Show themtoeachother. Can youfindanymore funnylittlemenoroddanimals? the paintingthese figures appearin.
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In which panel can you see heaven? And where is hell? Where did the artist paint most of the people?
The artist painted the earth as he imagined it on the middle panel. Does this earth look more like heaven or hell?
The people are behaving so badly that it already seems like hell!
Look for Jesus in this painting. Can you see the objects to the left and right of him? They refer to heaven and hell. We call them symbols.
What object symbolises hell? Here’s a hint; Jesus is pointing the object downwards, in the direction of hell! Can you also see which object is pointing to heaven? Look for Do you know who these people are? the painting The title of the painting contains another word for Mary and her child. What is it? these people Can you find the painter’s name on the title panel too? appear in.
Jan van Eyck was the first artist who could paint marvellously well with oil paint. He painted on wooden panels. They are made of several planks glued together and then sanded smooth. By applying lots of coats of paint on top of each other, Jan van Eyck was able to depict everything very precisely. People seem to be made of flesh and blood, gold glitters and the fabrics are so splendid that you want to touch them. But of course you mustn’t! But it doesn’t matter, as you can ‘feel’ this painting with your eyes!
Which material feels cold? Which bit appears very soft? Can your eyes ‘feel’ the difference between Mary’s hair and her dress?
Jan van Eyck Jan van Madonna with Canon | 1436 der Paele Joris van I’m not here! You haven’t seen me! This isn’t the painting I escaped from! This is St George. He killed the dragon! St George is a soldier saint. How can you tell this is true?
The title of the painting also includes this man’s name. He ordered this work of art from the painter. He was an important man in the Church and had the same first name as the saint standing behind him. Do you have a name saint? Or do your mum or dad? If so, do you know which one?
This is St Donatian. He protected the Bruges church for which this painting was intended. Someone like this is called a patron saint. Unfortunately he was not able to protect his church very well, because it was demolished in around 1800… Hans Memling Moreel Triptych | 1484
painted. Two more daughters were bornafter this panelwas Barbara, hernamesaintandtheirdaughters. In theright-handpanelyou can seeWillem’s wife painted intheSouthernNetherlands. This paintingisoneofthefirst family portraits Memling. Behind Willem is his He commissioned thistriptych from thepainter Hans He isWillem Moreel , animportant Brugespolitician.
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y ! In the middle panel you can see St Christopher, who has crossed the river with the baby Jesus on his shoulders. The flowering staff is his attribute.
People recognised the saints by the attribute they carried with them. On the left you can see St Maurus with a curved staff and an open book, on the right St Giles with a deer and an arrow in his arm. These saints are a reference to the family names of the painter’s client: Moreel and Van Hertsvelde (Moreel is believed to be derived from Maurus and hert is Dutch for deer).
Attributes tell us something about a saint’s life. Which attribute would you like to be portrayed with if you were a saint? Why?
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Have a look at the back of the side panels of this painting too. They are also very finely finished! It was these outer panels that the faithful got to see the most. The triptych installed in St James’ Church in Bruges was only opened on Sundays and holidays. Copy after Rogier van der Weyden Saint Luke drawing the Madonna | ± 1500 painted! This copy really was or cameras inthosedays. there were nophotocopiers Don’t forget: paintings ofgreat masters. quite normalto copy the At thattimeitwas copies ofhis paintings. master Rogieror made learnt theirskillsfrom Weyden. Lotsofpainters artist Rogiervan der of apaintingbythefamous This work ofartisacopy painters. saint ofdrawers and This isStLuke, thepatron this figure. that contains the painting Look for Can you find Turn this card over and compare the St Luke in the previous this St Luke painting with the one in the painting you are standing in in the museum front of now. too? Which details make it clear that the painter, Lancelot Blondeel, had taken Rogier van der Weyden’s work as an example? But there are also differences between the two works of art!
In the painting by Rogier van n! ier van d eyde y Rog er W der Weyden, St Luke is drawing ed b enc fllu the portrait of the Virgin and y in arl cle Child with a silver stylus. ery s! V Oh ye How is he doing the portrait in this painting? Can you see the boy at the back on the right? What is he doing? He is an apprentice who is grinding the paint to a fine paste. At that time you couldn’t buy paint in a pot or tube, you had to make it yourself. For oil paint, for example, pigment was ground very finely and mixed with oil. Famous painters like Rogier van der Weyden did not of course do this themselves, but had their pupils do it – and many other things. Lancelot Blondeel Lancelot painting the Madonna | 1545 Saint Luke The Master of the Legend of Saint Lucy Retable of Saint Nicholas | ± 1479 - 1505 Imagine whatmight beshownonthemissingpanel! (Fortunately, StNicholaswillbringthem backto life later!) On therightyou can seethree children beingmurdered byavillain. handing outgrain to thestarving inhabitants ofMyra. On theleft you can see him sharinghiswealth with apoorfamily and The smallpanelsaround himshow events from hislife. What isdifferent? What isthesame? In thispainting,doeshelookthewaywenormallyseehim? in different waysdown thecenturies. St Nicholashasbeenportrayed St Nicholas! Yes, thefigure inthepainting really is remind youof? these objects Who do
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t o o ? In the background on the main panel you can see the towers of Bruges. If you live in Bruges yourself or know the city well you may recognise some of them.
From left to right we see the Church of Our Lady, St Saviour’s Church, the Oosterlingen House (former base of the German merchants), the Belfry, the Citizen’s Lodge and the Jerusalem Church.
In the water you can see something else that’s typical of Bruges! Jacob van Oost I Portrait of a Bruges Family | 1645 Even ouragesare painted onit. sister too. Sowe all appear intheportrait. He isproud ofmymamaandbrothers and Because papawassoproud ofit,hehaditpainted. piece oflandinSint-Andries nearBruges. “In 1645mypapa,whowas46atthetime,boughta of art!) (Remember: stay atasafe distance from thework about? Can youpointoutwhichfigures andobjectsinthepaintingheistalking painting. family andeverything thatcan beseeninthe The boy islooking atusandtelling usabouthis boy init? painting withthis Can youfindthe You can see my big stepbrother and stepsister from papa’s first marriage. Their ages are painted on a boot and on the cushion in the basket.”
How old are they?*
“My little brother is being carried by the nurse. She helps mama with the children. My little brother’s age is on his bread roll.”
Can you see how old he is?** “Do you find it strange that my little brother is wearing a dress? It was the fashion at the time: rich girls and boys wore dresses with lots of lace and frills – sometimes until they were seven! Because he still can’t walk properly he is wearing a ‘baby helmet’ to protect his head.
Look how finely everything is painted. In some places the colours are transparent and the light is very beautiful. You can see depth too. You might even miss the gardener who is standing there.
My age is shown on my hat.”
How old am I?***”
at the bott nswers om! D he a on’t i g t magine I readin ’m *17 and 15 **1 *** 3 Erasmus Quellinus II Achilles among the Daughters of Lycomedes | 1643 He lived there together with theking’s daughters. King Lycomedes ontheislandofScyrus. To protect him,Thetishidesherson, dressed asagirl,inthecourt of A prophet predicted thathersonAchilles would dieintheTrojan War. goddess Thetis. The brave Achilles isthesonofsea Greek story. This paintingshows partofanancient his painting? Can youfind hero Achilles. This isthe Achilles’ friends in the Greek army – Odysseus and Diomedes – are afraid that without him they will lose the war against Troy. They decided to bring him back.
They find out where Achilles is hidden and go off to Scyrus to unmask him by trickery.
They take a basket of gifts for King Lycomedes’ daughters with them. It also contains two objects they know Achilles will find especially appealing, but which the king’s real daughters probably will not.
Have a good look at the painting. Can you see how Achilles gives himself away? Which objects has he chosen?
ld choose… t I wou Let’s see wha Joseph Benoît Suvée Invention of the Art of Drawing | 1791 with thewoman whose shadow the painting Look for this is. Make upyourownstorytogo with it. What feelingdoesthispaintinggive you? In thedarkyou seethingsdifferently and you feel different. At night,ahandsometree can look ghostly. Light andshadecan make reality look completely different. learnt to draw andpaint. Suvée donated this paintingto theartacademy inBruges,where he Bruges artists wholater madeanamefor themselves inParis. was hugely successful inFrance andItaly andtaught several He won art. At theendof18thcentury hewasthewonder boy ofFlemish This paintingisbyJosephBenoîtSuvée. avery important competition for artists inParis, The story pictured goes as follows:
Dibutades, the daughter of the Greek potter Butades, drew the shadow of her beloved on the wall of her father’s workshop.
The young man left on a long journey. There were no photos in those days and so she wanted the shadow to remind her of him.
When you get home, try to create a reminder of the person/people you like, in the same way.
anim of an al th Of ow at ike… cour had you l se y e s ou w th can also dra François Joseph Kinsoen The Death of Belisarius’ Wife | ± 1817 thought wasimportant. not necessary. Heonly painted what he The painter hasleft outeverything thatis precisely thoseparts? How hasthepaintermadesure youreyesare drawnto Which partsofthepaintingstrikeyouimmediately?
Which ofthefollowingshapesdothesethree peopleform?
people. these three painting with Look forthe 4.triangle 3.circle 2.diamond 1.square
Like many works of art from that era, this painting depicts a story from antiquity.
Belisarius, the Roman emperor’s commander, is accused of conspiring in a plot to attack the emperor.
He is locked up in prison, but later it turns out that he is innocent and fortunately is set free. But as a punishment his eyes have already been put out!
When his wife Antonina sees him like this, she dies in the arms of her husband and daughter Eudoxia. She looks pleadingly at Tiberius, the young soldier she will later marry.
Imagine this painting was a picture from a strip cartoon. What picture would come immediately before it? ving pa And immediately after? a li int I’m ing! Act it out in a ‘tableau-vivant’ – that’s a French word for a living painting. Joseph Octave van der Donckt Portrait of Sylvie de la Rue | 1806
Who canthinkofasuitableanswer? Take askingthegirlordogquestions. turns What mightthey have beenthinkingaboutasthey sit there? time while theirportrait wasbeingpainted! The girlandthedoghadto sitstill for avery long What are herhobbies? Is sherichorpoor?Howcanyoutell? What ishername? The girlinthepaintingispainter’s niece.
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Twelve years later, the girl married the painter Joseph Denis Odevaere.
Can you find a painting by him in this room?
Take a look at the portrait in the background. Who does it show? The portrait in the background is probably a self-portrait of the artist. Emile Claus The River Lys in Astene | ± 1885 easily becarried. SoClauswasable to paintsunlightexactly ashesawit. This waspossible because paintwasbythenavailable intubesandcould always work inhisstudio, buttook hiseasel outinto thecountryside. Like manypainters attheendof19thcentury, Emile Clausdidnot What colourswouldyouuse? How wouldyoupaintsunlight? Emile Clausisamaster atpaintingsunlight. It’s obviously asunnydayinthepicture! showing thisriver. the painting Look for
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? The painting shows a Belgian river.
What rivers do you know?
Look at the title of the painting to see which river the artist has painted.
Emile Claus lived in Astene near Deinze, in a splendid villa with a large garden that overlooked the river.
Would you like to live there? Why? / Why not?
Step back as far as you can to look at the painting. Screw up your eyes.
Which forms and colours are most striking? Count how many tints of green you can find in the painting.
rite colou favou r! my Green is Fernand Khnopff Secret-Reflet | 1902 comes from. the painting this detail Look for less attractive reality. He didnotwanthisbeautifulmemoriesto bespoilt by the glasses soasto seeaslittle ofthecityaspossible. On theoneoccasion whenhedidreturn there, hewore dark avoid thecityasmuchpossible. He hadsuchgoodmemoriesofthatperiodhetried to city helived inuntilhewas7. In thispaintinghemadeuseofhismemories ofBruges,the symbolists. OneofthemwasFernand Khnopff. escape intheworlddreams. of Theseartists were called longer happywithpaintingasitthenwas.They soughtan At theendof19thcentury, agroup ofartists wasno Read the French title of the work. Secret means the same as in English. Reflet means a reflection.
Can you see a reflection anywhere in this work? The building is reflected in thewater . It is St John’s Hospital, now a museum not far from the Groeninge Museum. But the woman’s face is also reflected.
Do you see that the mask is exactly like her? She is Marguerite, the painter’s sister and favourite model.
So what is the big secret in the title? We shall never know. Marguerite has told the mask, but the mask is not telling anyone. And to make sure, Marguerite puts her hand over the mask’s mouth.
Do you also have a mask full of secrets? Or a diary? Gustave van de Woestyne Last Supper | 1927 from. detail comes painting this Look forthe painting. This Bible scene isdepicted inthisenormous Apostles. reminder ofJesus’ Last Supperwithhis that thepriest useswineandbread asa Anyone whohasbeento amass willknow Do youknowwhatitsymbolises? What’s onthetable? What are thesemendoing? There is still room at the front of the table.
Would you like to join them? Does it look enjoyable? Do the men look happy?
No, because the next day Jesus is going to die! In fact he will be betrayed by one of his Apostles.
Can you guess who will betray him to the Romans?
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This is a self-portrait of the artist as a young man. The painter also portrayed himself as one of the Apostles in the painting.
Which Apostle is a self-portrait of the painter? Constant Permeke If youcouldshow howyoufelttodayusingcolours, whichcolourswouldyou choose? And Permeke alsoshows thisinthecolours heusesinhispaintings. their long daysofhard work. They stare straight aheadwithasombre gaze. Most ofthetimePermeke depictsfarmers andtheirwives whoare worn outby What are thecolourslike?Are theycheerfulorsorrowful colours? How doyoufeelwhenlookathispaintings? What dothepeopleinhispaintingslooklike?Are theyhappyorsad? He often painted subjectsfrom life onthefarm. The painter Constant Permeke lived inJabbeke, areal country village. all thesepaintings inthemuseum? Can youfind other museumsandfrom private collections. The Groeninge Museumalsoregularly borrows works from Works are sometimeslent to othermuseums. here atthemoment? that are not there works Or are artist. together anexhibition onaparticularthemeor Sothemuseumstaff sometimesvary themorput The museumowns more works thanitcan show. reserve orstorage place. Some oftheworks are just kept safely ina
Permeke also changed some of the shapes. He made them bigger and exaggerated them. His aim was to make them more forceful and give greater expression to his paintings. Which is why it is called Expressionism.
Can you see examples where parts of a painting are distorted? Which ones? What do you think the painter meant by doing this?
For example, Permeke painted hands and feet larger than life to show that the farmers had to work hard with their hands and had to have their feet firmly on the ground.
ig! ’t understand why it’s m e so b I don y be mad ak r has that the designe Gustave De Smet The big Shooting Gallery | 1923 museum? painting inthe Can youfindthe painting from which this detailistaken? isshowninthe What location Why? /Whynot? Are there partsthatyouwouldpaint inanothercolourifyouwere theartist?Whichones? Do thesecoloursremind youofthefairground? What colourscanyouseeinthe painting? What isyourfavouritefairground attraction? In thiscase, theartist painted ashootinggallery. Try imitatingthem.You cansingtoo,ifyoulike. Are thepeopletalkingtoeachother? Whatare they saying? Imagine whatsoundsandnoisesgowiththispainting. village scenes withamanandwoman . This painter’s favourite subjects were fairs and
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Where can you see this in his painting? Jean Brusselmans The large Interior | 1939 part oftheinterior. the painting,butat sametimesheseemsto bea The woman isdefinitely the most eye-catching part of Are theyjustasstriking? Try describingyourfavouriteclothes. The dress sheiswearing isherfavourite. How doeshemakesure one’s attentionisdrawnimmediately toher? Marie-Léonie Frisch, thepainter’s wife . The first thingthatstrikes you in thispaintingis colours, forms andelements. painting isalittle like acollage madeupofvarious them together to make awork ofart?Brusselmans’ out ofmagazinesandnewspapers andsticking Have you ever madeacollage, bycuttingphotos Why isthat? woman. showing this the painting Look for The same objects often reappear in Brusselmans’ paintings.
Does the painter think it is more important to depict the objects precisely as in real life? Or does he concentrate more on form and colour?
Go and stand in front of the painting and play ‘I spy, with my little eye…’ You say: ‘I spy with my little eye something whose colour is …’ The rest of your group have to guess what it is. They can ask questions about its shape or material. ‘Is it round?’ ‘Is it made of wood?’ The one who guesses what it is takes a turn choosing an object for the others to guess.
y little eye som ol! , with m ethin lly co I spy g t rea hat’s green and Rik Wouters Domestic Cares | 1913 Portrait of Mrs Giroux | 1912 - 1913 And you can seethatheused theminthePortrait ofMrs Giroux. and pure colours inthework ofotherartists. This money even allowed himto goto Paris where hediscovered lively They were bigfans ofRik’s work andwere keen to payfor it. who hadanartgallery inBrussels. Six years later RikandNelmadetheacquaintance ofMrandMrs Giroux, in love allhislife. When hewas21marriedNel,withwhomremained very much Rik Wouters diedquite young, just before his34thbirthday. What wouldyouliketodomost?Paintormakesculptures? This artist wasbothapainter andasculptor. same artist: RikWouters. You can seedetails here from two works bythe What colourscanyoufindinthe painting? these twoworksofart? Can youfind You will also notice that Rik did not paint the whole of the canvas. He left lots of patches empty, to keep the painting light and cheerful.
Do you think this makes the painting appealing? Or do you think it should be more finished? What would you think of adding or changing?
The large sculpture shows Nel, Rik’s wife and favourite model. By repeatedly portraying her in his paintings, drawings and sculptures, he shows his love for her. Here, he pictures Nel as she listens to him one evening while he tells her his plans for the future.
Take someone from your group and put them in the same serious pose. Then put your model in a comical pose. Georges Vantongerloo
Private collection, Antwerp – photo: Christine Clinckx, © M HKA ‘Construction danslasphere 2’. These are sketchesthat Georges Vantongerloo did asastudyfor Can youfindthis sculpture orany other workby this artist? less andless recognisable. and more abstract. Meaningthatreality became As timewent by,thisartist’s works became more Can youseeanythingliketheplanetsorsuninoneofhisworks? and in1969thefirst man even landedonthemoon! the universe. Itwaswhenspace travel wasbeginning Vantongerloo wasmainly concerned with nature and In thesculptures he didinthe1960s,Georges Can youstillseethiswomaninthesculpture itself? la sphere 2’. in thepreliminary sketches for ‘Construction dans If you look carefully, you willseeaseated woman Vantongerloo was an exceptionally talented artist. He was not only a sculptor and painter, but also designed buildings and furniture.
He did not use bronze, stone or wood for his works, but such modern materials as metal wire, transparent plastic and cement.
Can you see a work that makes you feel like making things with your hands? Which one? What materials would you use?
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Vantongerloo also gave his works of art long and difficult French titles.
Can you think of another, more amusing title for one of his works? Marcel Broodthaers He signedhispaintings (=thefirstlettersof Can youfindone hisname):M.B. with hisinitials of hisworks? This isMarcel Broodthaers. signed onlyonce? Do youthinkaworkofartwith 100signatures ismore importantthanapainting C. More than100times. B. Between10and100times. A. Fewerthan10times. Count howmanytimesyoucanfindtheinitialsM.B.inthis room. a work ofart! one hundred times.Inthiswayhissignature itselfbecame his works ofart.For example, hewrote hisnameorinitials But Marcel Broodthaers liked playinggameswhensigning Most artists signtheirnameunderwork. In Marcel Broodthaers’ works, you see not only signatures but other writing too. He clearly loved words! That’s not so unusual. After all, he was first a poet. But hardly anyone wanted to buy his books of poems. So he poured plaster over them and made them into a work of art!
Long ago an artist was someone who was able to do a beautiful painting, drawing, sculpture or poem in which you could recognise everyday things. Do you agree with modern artists’ ideas? Modern artists like Marcel Broodthaers see things Discuss the following questions with differently. In many cases their works are not even your group: intended to be found beautiful. • Should a work of art be beautiful? • Can a good idea be art? The modern artist wants to challenge the viewers, to • Is a work of art still art if you make them think, move them, or invite them to look at could do it yourself? the world in a different way.
And sometimes the idea behind a work of art is even more important than the work itself!
m, for exampl k a work of art should b e fro e? I thin e be I com au inting tiful! Like the pa René Magritte L’attentat (The Attack) | 1932 What doyouthinktheballwith theslitsignifies? What dotheyhaveincommon? Why dotheseobjectsappearinapaintingtogether? Do youhaveanyideas? this painting. Not even thegreatest art experts are sure whatMagritte meantby works ofartthe20thcentury. Magritte’s paintingsare amongthebest-known andmost puzzling This paintingisby the Belgianartist René Magritte. Found it? in themuseum. painting ofclouds Look forthis Actually these objects have nothing to do with each other, but that’s precisely what Magritte found so amusing. It makes you think a little of a dream. Things and people which in real life have nothing to do with each other sometimes appear together in dreams.
Have you ever drawn anything that didn’t really exist or put things in one drawing that don’t actually belong together?
This is rather ‘surrealistic’, meaning that it is beyond reality. It is the style used by the Belgian artists René Magritte and Paul Delvaux. od tit I th be a go le! ink ould ‘T er’ w he Green Feath Magritte made a game of thinking up amusing or unexpected titles for his paintings. He even invited his friends to help him. The title of this work is L’attentat, the French word for ‘the attack’.
Think up your own title for this work, one you think suits it better. Frans van Cuyck de Myerhop
Still-Life with Dead Birds | 2nd half 17th century
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Frans van Cuyck deMyerhop wasamaster atthissortofpainting! It’s French for ‘deceiving theeye’. A work painted soprecisely iscalled ‘trompe l’oeil’. Don’t worry! Thesedeadbirds seemreal, butthey are painted. v
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e ! Don’t you think that dead birds are rather an odd subject for a painting? That wasn’t the case in the 17th century. Lots of artists painted the creatures killed during a hunt. Not only birds, but hares, wild boar and lots of others.
By depicting their feathers and coat very realistically, they showed how well they could paint.
What subjects do you most like drawing or painting?
This sort of work always has a message. They are meant to remind people how short life is and that all of us will one day die, just like the birds.
sonally I fiind gr but per een fe It’s rse, ath a qu f cou ers estion of taste, o much nicer! Alexander Adriaenssen Still-Life with Fish | 1st half 17th century animals andsoon. very precisely inastill-life: flowers, fruit,wild Everything thatnature produces wasdepicted and immobile. particular wayandinwhicheverything isstill household objects–thatare arranged ina These are pictures ofthings–often food and painting still-lifes. Alexander Adriaenssen, were very goodat And yet others, such astheAntwerp artist only Bible stories orportraits. Some painted nothingbutlandscapes, others specialising inpaintingparticularsubjects. As from the17thcentury, artists started in themuseum! for thispainting fish too?Look crazy about Are you Alexander Adriaenssen was mad about fish. He painted nothing else and did it extremely well! Just look how lifelike he paints the scales and silvery skin.
Do you ever do drawings or take photos of ‘still’ objects? Which objects do you most like to draw or photograph? Why?
Does this painting make you feel like eating a tasty bit of fish? You’re not the only one! There’s a thief lurking in the background!
Do you recognise her? Just to make on me! sure I ! As eyes ’ll fl om long her lutt er ro as she hasn’t got er off to anoth Writing and tasks MOOSS vzw | Chris Ferket | Jerina Colyn | Mia Nollet Groeninge Museum | Tine Van Poucke
Translation Gregory Ball
Layout MOOSS vzw | Chris Ferket | Jerina Colyn
Photo’s Cel fotografie Stad Brugge | Sarah Bauwens © Sabam Belgium Rik Wouters | Jean Brusselmans | Gustave De Smet Marcel Broodthaers | Georges Vantongerloo | Gustave van de Woestyne © Ch Herscovici-SABAM Belgium 2012 René Magritte Colophon Have a good think! Do painting you are go to? you which ing er already know to ath give my green fe