Inez de Brauw (1989)
Borrowed Light
2025 | oil and acrylic paint on canvas | 160 × 200 cm
This painting belongs to a genre known as “Kunstkammer” or “Wunderkammer” paintings and is inspired by a 17th century piece by Willem van Haecht. We see a room filled with paintings, sculptures, and rarities. At the time, these were status symbols exuding wealth, knowledge and power.
Inez de Brauw looks at this historic setting with new eyes. She’s wondering: where are the women – the muses – in this story? Their role and presence are reviewed. The subtle symbols around them, like precious objects with a colonial origin or dogs who suggest status and chastity, take on a different meaning as well.
By removing details or changing them in a subtle way, De Brauw gives history a new meaning. The past isn’t rewritten, but re-examined. The balance shifts: the muse pulls back, ready to take on a new role.
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