Philippe Vandenberg (1952)

L'Abîme

Philippe Vandenberg (1952)

L'Abîme

1997-98 | Oil on canvas | 200 x 200 x 4 cm

Throughout his career, Vandenberg’s iconography drew on symbols from an immense literature of art history, biblical stories, myths and contemporary events.

Crucifixes, ladders, boats, tunnels, and bridges were leitmotifs for a way for seeing the world as a cyclical journey without end. "The first impressive images that I saw where those in church: the crucifixion, the Stations of the Cross, the Madonna, the Pietà. Now I'm becoming increasingly conscious of how these became basic symbols for me. Moreover, the drawings I made as a child were not real children's drawings, such as for Christmas or Mother's Day, but they were heavily laden from the very start. That has never changed."


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