Matthaüs Passion

Both familiar and ever new, St. Matthew Passion is a major event in the cycle of the year. Good for contemplation, very inspiring. The altus of the opening chorale "O Lamm Gottes" sang with an intensity that worked like gilding on a Russian Icon, or on a medieval polychrome statuette. It gave me goosebumps.

I noticed a Green Man carved in the church benches.



Vegetation Spirit-oncoming resurrection-how fitting.


Fraser-Golden Bough
Holland boys Choir - Pieter Jan Leusink
Martinikerk Groningen
Matthaüs Passion


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Mother and Child -running for life

The folds of her dress are based on "Guelders" style of Medieval (polychrome) sculpture.

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Quick visit to the Groninger Museum

Circle of Trust. Folkert de Jong. Selected Works 2001-2009. In the Groninger Museum from Groninger Museum on Vimeo.

Personally, I like to use a combination of polyurethane glue with sawdust.

Lectern

Oak, completed today.
Partly based on a lectern in the Hours of Catherine of Cleves




Mark the book on medieval Dutch sculpture. Very inspiring.







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GAFPA goes official

My website has a new URL:

www.gafpa.nl

The old URL is no longer in use:

www.gafpa.tk


The name of this website was suggested by Flemish writer Willem Elsschot's prophetic novels about bluffing and conning . Written around 1933 and 1924/1938, they have lost nothing of their freshness. GAFPA comes from Kaas (Cheese) in which a middle class Belgian vainly attempts to bluff his way into the trading world by selling Dutch Edam Cheese. His firm needs a name and one afternoon's work results in the acronym GAFPA:
General Antwerp Feeding Products Association

GAFPA has that typical Dada-like association, making it the perfect name for my gallery.

Reminiscences of childhood

It was a time when you could still park your car in front of the department store in the centre of town. No circular roads or circulation plans. Sunday afternoon, fivish, after dark. Return from a visit to our relatives in the southern part of town.
I used to look through the window of our Volkswagen Beetle. Neon signs, shop's windows, the church tower, statues.

Bronze statues.

The Big Nude Lass.

(My mother told me the locals called her so: t Grote Blote Wicht)

Their mother must be dead...

(I felt pity for them, every time we passed)

Is that a statue?

(It was, my dad told me)


But He looks so different there...

(a stern and grim Christ of the Sacred Heart, whitish sandstone)

Reminiscences of childhood. They have no order



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Another flight to Egypt

Started April 2009
(Prepared the oak log, did some minor chipping to shape the heads)
I had already noticed that there was movement and speed in the accidental shape of the log. Mother and Child - on flight.
Eternal theme - mothers protecting children. Maryam and Yishua Ben Yussuf.
Read this book by Ilan Pappe about the ethnic cleansing of Palestine. Same kind of picture but less speed.




I have observed them all summer, so it is about time I got them out of the woord.
But I don't know where to start yet.


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