-
The bare interior
The bare interior The light and the emptiness of the nave and aisles of the 16th century late-gothic church in Brou reveal the elegant beauty of its architecture. A salutary contrast with the flamboyantly decorated exterior. Photo of the week: Eglise du Monastère Royal de Brou, France 2024
-
The king’s face
The king’s face An impressive portrait of an unknown king from the façade of a 12th century church. He looks serious, responsible, but it is foremost the humane expression of his face that draws me to him. Photo of the week: King from the façade of the Notre-Dame-de-la-Coudre, 1150-1200, Musée du Louvre-Lens, France 2024
-
The hairpin and the hermaphrodite
The hairpin and the hermaphrodite The angular and the rounded. Two striking examples of two different cultural and artistic traditions. Photo of the week: Pin, c.100-700, Perou, and Hermaphroditus, c.130-150, Alexandria-Egypt, Musée du Louvre-Lens, France 2024
-
Stones
Stones Stones do (not) speak; let’s listen attentively. Photo of the week: Courtyard, Château-Chalons, France 2023
-
Window on the world
Window on the world A fantastic tree, a lively wall, a peephole window.A sight like this keeps me going. Photo of the week: Château-Chalon, France 2023
-
With frame and without
With frame and without The wooden frame must have been placed there to guide the eyes of the visitors towards the nice view of Château-Chalon. But the frame reduces the view of the little hill town to a mere picture postcard. It creates a distance between the viewer and the landscape. On the other hand,…
-
Munch’s carpet
Munch’s carpet Munch has portrayed Wilhelm Wartmann several times; this is a detail of his portrait at the Kunsthaus in Zürich, of which he was the director during most of the first half of the 20th century. We see his feet on the corner of a carpet. Who would paint a carpet in such a…
-
3 x Lady Tanetmit
3 x Lady Tanetmit When looking at old Egyptian art with representation of human beings I am often touched by the delicate beauty and refinement of a face, a mouth, a look. The thousands of years that separate us disappear, and I feel like standing face to face with the image of a timeless, living…
-
Stand-ins
Stand-ins This collection of funerary servants (shabtis) was found in the tomb of Neferibreheb who lived around 500 BC. Every day one of them is supposed to take the place of the deceased and work in the fields of the afterlife. Wrapped in a shroud like Osiris – the god of the dead and the…
-
Fleurie
Fleurie This may be a trompe l’oeil, but the good wines of Burgundy never deceive us. Photo of the week: Vineyard trompe l’oeil, Fleurie, France 2013
