ABOUT

The title refers to the well-known work of the Flemish/Belgian Renaissance painter Jan Van Eyck, belonging to the art movement 'The Flemish Primitives'. The illustration was made as a tribute to Van Eyck in the context of the Van Eyck year in 2021 (originally this was 2020 but it was postponed for a year due to the Corona epidemic)

The original painting refers to ancient Christian iconography where the lamb symbolizes the son of god who is sacrificed to save humanity. The dove symbolized The Holy Spirit, who comes to earth to convert people. At the top, God was present as a radiant sun.

I have kept those 3 elements but brought them to a modified contemporary framework. The lamb is still centrally present but has a dominant appearance. The dove is no longer the reference to the holy spirit but is simply a dove disguised as a ghost, symbolizing the disappearance of contemporary Christian faith. God has been replaced by a one-eyed cat triumphantly on top. The disappearance of the old gods has paved the way for new ones. The pet is portrayed here as a small almighty master.

I opted for a tight, central composition and a simple color palette as a reference to the medieval tradition in which the scene takes place. Blue and red were then very important colors in painting and the perspective was still very primitive.

The pattern on the lamb's body is essentially a tattoo that tells the story of history through animals. Hunters and prey are intertwined into one big whole. A society that is in balance with each other and which corresponds peacefully.

The lamb symbolizes suffering, because in the ancient western religion it symbolizes suffering, but by sticking out her tongue she is making fun of the whole story and making fun of her role in that story. She seems to want to say: 'You can tell me what to do, but don't expect me to actually do it. I decide for myself what exactly I do and how.'

The lamb's legs have been replaced here by human arms and hands. By making it more humane and by putting on different clothes, the religion is brought to the present. Not only does each arm have different clothes, the outstretched hands also have a different skin color. In this way they are an indictment of racism and cultural discrimination. They call on to reach out to each other, regardless of origin, religion or cultural background. Rich or poor, all are equal and equal to each other.