AND BEETLES CRAWLING OVER YOU - Chapter 2
Lunch at the Tripostal and I was very happy to drink down a hot soup. It was needed as the wind was still blowing outside. Lille is a strange city. The old town is central - of course - but you seem to go around the centre to visit other parts. Logical but I have never worked out the transport system so end up walking everywhere. I was off to the Beaux Arts. In weather like this museums are very welcome.
"A Tribute to Hieronymus Bosch in Congo"
A strange relationship.
I am reading Philipp Blom’s »The Vertigo Years » with a chapter and a long one, dedicated to the Congo situation with King Leopold. Some ten million people were killed in the Congo Free State, his personal fiefdom.
The title of the exhibition had aroused my attention for several reasons. The association of Jerome Bosch and the Congo. Then Jan Fabre is a fascinating artist for me. How on earth one can work so intricately with beetles is another question. I have written chapters on his work previously but this was an important exhibition for me because of the historical interest and because of Bosch.
Some of the works are created especially for the exhibition in Lille and are shown for the first time in France.
This inspired by Sunlight soap. The Congo Belges had a concession of over 75,000h of virgin forest. There were many uprising when 100's of slaves were killed and tortured. The three figures, which are difficult to see because of reflection, come from Jerome Bosch's "Hell"
This is the middle of Bosch's tryptic. A fountain of youth it symbolizes the rich owners where towns were named after them. Leopoldville, Stanleyville....are indicated on the map behind the fountain.
Difficult to see I know but the pigs are disguised as nuns. An imposition of imposing a religion on local people without taking into account their culture.
The raven is a bird with a bad omen. For Bosch it symbolizes mystical naivety like the magician who nourishes false doctrines through the devil.
The initials of Leopold are surrounded by goliath tiger fish (if that is what they are called) a species with very large teeth which is common in the Congo
The female pig (sow) in Bosch's Hell incarnates moral absence. Once again this is related to the missionaires who forced the local population into a religion that had nothing to do with their culture.
The snake is of course Lucifer who disguised himself in order to tempt Eve......we know the rest of the story!
For those who want to know a little more :http://janfabre.be/angelos/about-jan-fabre/
Jérome Bosch is an emblematic painter too. On one side he carried out orders of churches and on the other he criticized the hypocritical sentiments of the bourgeoisie, frequently making them look burlesque or macabre. Conjugating these monsters then with the Belgium history of the Congo was an interesting and symbolic way of showing how he saw this horrific situation in Africa. In a way, as if the beetles were flying, the work is in movement. The beetles change in size and color. It’s like watching moving color as you walk around the paintings (can they be called that?) and try not to see yourself in them. This of course I did so the photos reflect another image at the same time.
There were small sculptures on display too. Skulls, crosses…..all in all, very symbolic.
I wanted to buy the Beaux Arts magazine so I could take photographs of that. The shop although supposedly open from 10 until 7pm was firmly closed with a notice "coming back soon". Half an hour later I was still there - that is not soon in my book.
It's difficult if not impossible to see that all these paintings are made up of beetles. Hundreds of them if not thousands. As I said above, I don't know how it is done. Everything I had read on his technique doesn't entirely satisfy me. If you find something - let me know.
"A Tribute to Hieronymus Bosch in Congo"
 |
| Looking down at the exhibition |
A strange relationship.
I am reading Philipp Blom’s »The Vertigo Years » with a chapter and a long one, dedicated to the Congo situation with King Leopold. Some ten million people were killed in the Congo Free State, his personal fiefdom.
The title of the exhibition had aroused my attention for several reasons. The association of Jerome Bosch and the Congo. Then Jan Fabre is a fascinating artist for me. How on earth one can work so intricately with beetles is another question. I have written chapters on his work previously but this was an important exhibition for me because of the historical interest and because of Bosch.
Some of the works are created especially for the exhibition in Lille and are shown for the first time in France.
 |
| To wash your dirty clothes |
This inspired by Sunlight soap. The Congo Belges had a concession of over 75,000h of virgin forest. There were many uprising when 100's of slaves were killed and tortured. The three figures, which are difficult to see because of reflection, come from Jerome Bosch's "Hell"
 |
| Fountain of Life |
This is the middle of Bosch's tryptic. A fountain of youth it symbolizes the rich owners where towns were named after them. Leopoldville, Stanleyville....are indicated on the map behind the fountain.
 |
| Pigs of Faith |
Difficult to see I know but the pigs are disguised as nuns. An imposition of imposing a religion on local people without taking into account their culture.
 |
| Blackman with ravens |
The raven is a bird with a bad omen. For Bosch it symbolizes mystical naivety like the magician who nourishes false doctrines through the devil.
 |
| King Leopold ll in the clouds |
The initials of Leopold are surrounded by goliath tiger fish (if that is what they are called) a species with very large teeth which is common in the Congo
 |
| Anvers Festivities |
The female pig (sow) in Bosch's Hell incarnates moral absence. Once again this is related to the missionaires who forced the local population into a religion that had nothing to do with their culture.
The snake is of course Lucifer who disguised himself in order to tempt Eve......we know the rest of the story!
For those who want to know a little more :http://janfabre.be/angelos/about-jan-fabre/
Jérome Bosch is an emblematic painter too. On one side he carried out orders of churches and on the other he criticized the hypocritical sentiments of the bourgeoisie, frequently making them look burlesque or macabre. Conjugating these monsters then with the Belgium history of the Congo was an interesting and symbolic way of showing how he saw this horrific situation in Africa. In a way, as if the beetles were flying, the work is in movement. The beetles change in size and color. It’s like watching moving color as you walk around the paintings (can they be called that?) and try not to see yourself in them. This of course I did so the photos reflect another image at the same time.
There were small sculptures on display too. Skulls, crosses…..all in all, very symbolic.
I wanted to buy the Beaux Arts magazine so I could take photographs of that. The shop although supposedly open from 10 until 7pm was firmly closed with a notice "coming back soon". Half an hour later I was still there - that is not soon in my book.
It's difficult if not impossible to see that all these paintings are made up of beetles. Hundreds of them if not thousands. As I said above, I don't know how it is done. Everything I had read on his technique doesn't entirely satisfy me. If you find something - let me know.
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