For centuries we have projected our lives onto those of gods, animals, objects. And: onto those of trees. ‘Gnome trees’, we call giants with a hollow at the base. Under a linden tree many hundreds of years old, we place an honorable plaque with the […]
We as Anthropomorphists Read More »
From the poetess Sappho who lived on Lesbos, one poem has survived. It is about her female beloved who nevertheless chose a man. We are writing 570 years before Christ. The poem inspired the Dutch sculptor Gerhard Lentink (1956) to create a monumental sculpture, in
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Was it a child’s toy? Or was it a ritual figurine, used by a shaman to appease the gods? With a handle to better hold this ‘Man of Willemstad’? We will never know for certain. What is certain is that the oak figurine is 7,500
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The nose is already a striking facial feature, but placed in an empty landscape it stands out even more. Since I made this nose, I can no longer watch TV without commenting on the noses that pass by. My nose was not made after an
The British collector reported at the auction: this piece of jewelry originates from the Middle East. It was made 300 years before Christ. A golden grape cluster measuring 6 by 3 by 10 millimeters. Very small, therefore. After purchase, the ‘Certificate of Authenticity’ stated that
In corona times, the future seems like a black hole. How many new Covid variants are still to come? More contagious ones? Or even more dangerous ones? Either way: the world will have to learn to live with this virus. We must move towards a
Type ‘wood carving’ into Google and mostly figurines from Bali appear. On Marktplaats and Etsy there is always some wood carving from this Indonesian island for sale. But according to former art dealer Frans Leidelmeijer, almost all those busts and masks should be counted as
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Stefan Balkenhol (1957) makes art with humor. His businessmen always wear a white shirt and black trousers. But sometimes such a sculpture holds a teddy bear pressed against its chest. Or the businessman hangs high on the neck of a giraffe. Or he sits backwards
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Being allowed to take wood carving lessons from a master wood carver. That is a rare opportunity in the Netherlands. Not many other craftsmen than Jan van Harskamp can restore a classic mantelpiece in a palace to its perfectly original state. Learning the craft from
Lessons with Master Wood Carver Jan van Harskamp Read More »
Waving wood. Look at the strings on that violin. They are carved from wood. That curved sheet music paper. That stem of those tulips. According to legend, Grinling Gibbons (1648 – 1721) had a vase with wooden flowers hanging in front of the door of
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