Portfolio Category: walk-red route

TINE (LODE EYCKERMANS) In the immediate vicinity of ‘Najade’ (by Alphons Darville) the street is embellished by ‘Zangertje (Little Singer)’ - 1942, and ‘Tine’ - 1960, both  by Lode Eyckermans. It is interesting to compare the two statues in function of the style evolution they illustrate. Looking at ‘Tine’ one notices the expressive resilience of…

ZANGERTJE (LODE EYCKERMANS) In the immediate vicinity of ‘Najade’ (Alphonse Darville) the street is embellished by   the statues, ‘Zangertje (Little Singer)’ -1942- and ‘Tine’ -1960. Comparing these statues gives an interesting insight in the evolution of style. ‘Zangertje’ is all purity and simplicity. The single decorative accent in the hairdo emphasises the frail nudity. The…

SLAVINNETJE (ERNEST WIJNANTS) ‘Slavinnetje’ (‘Little slave’) is sculpted in 1917. Stripped of all clothing, in her nakedness she evokes even  more vulnerability than the statues ‘Bacchante’ and ‘Gratie’. She is standing upright, diginified, her eyes closed and her hands stretched forward. She appears one and all ‘givenness’. Slavinnetje is related to a larger group of…

GRATIE (ERNEST WIJNANTS) The sculpture ‘Gratie’ (Grace) dates from 1917. As he repeatedly does, the sculptor has added a subtle exotic accent to this classical looking work. This is especially noticeable in the original shape of the hairdo. ‘Gratie’ is part of the group of sculptures ‘Drie Gratiën’ (Three Graces), the break-through work for Wijnants.…

BACCHANTE (ERNEST WIJNANTS) Bacchante’: in Greek and Roman mythology she is a devotee of Dionysos-Bacchus, God of wine. This standing figure in bronze dates from 1928 and was purchased in 1931 by the Koninklijke Musea voor Schone Kunsten van België (Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium) and is also on show there. Especially in…

NAJADE (ALPHONSE DARVILLE) The main pedestrian shopping street in the centre of Sint-Niklaas is the Stationsstraat. When the street was renovated in November 2013, seven statues, by three artists, were given a new, prominent place. They make the Stationsstraat more than a mere shopping street. People who are not fond of shopping are pampered in…

PUBERTEIT (ERNEST WIJNANTS) In this early work ‘Puberteit’ (‘Puberty’), the sculptor tries to represent the simplicity, purity and unsophisticated quality of the young female body. In that aspect it gives, in comparison with his other works, a distinct vision on female nudes. ‘Puberteit’ was the wedding present of Ernest Wijnants to his good friend, the…

ZITTEND NAAKT (WILLY KREITZ) In a flowerbed in the Stationsstraat, near the Market Square, our attention is drawn to the tranquility and elegance exuded by the bronze sculpture "Zittend Naakt – Seated Nude" by Willy Kreitz. This 1955 sculpture’s aim is simply “to be beautiful". It celebrates the beauty of the human figure. The seated…