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Window on Infinity - Room 09

Ensemble

Van Gogh to Verheyen: seekers of light

 

In paintings such as Zwarte Zomer (Black Summer) and Permeke, Jef Verheyen paints his perception of the Flemish atmosphere, which is rather dark. Later in the 1960s, he travels to Brazil, Mexico, Tunisia, Spain, Italy and France in search of light, which is everywhere different. A northerner in search of southern light: Vincent van Gogh went on the same quest before him. In a letter written in Provence in 1889, Van Gogh writes to his brother about the southern light: ‘Perhaps my journey into the south will bear fruit, however, because the difference of the stronger light, the blue sky, teaches one to see, but especially and only if one looks at it for a long time. (…) one must first and gradually accustom one’s eyes to the different light.’ During his travels, Verheyen also writes in his letters about the enchantment of the light. ‘Everything shimmers here!’ He tries to render the essence of those impressions on canvas.

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About M HKA / Mission Statement

The M HKA is a museum for contemporary art, film and visual culture in its widest sense. It is an open place of encounter for art, artists and the public. The M HKA aspires to play a leading role in Flanders and to extend its international profile by building upon Antwerp's avant-garde tradition. The M HKA bridges the relationship between artistic questions and wider societal issues, between the international and the regional, artists and public, tradition and innovation, reflection and presentation. Central here is the museum's collection with its ongoing acquisitions, as well as related areas of management and research.

About M HKA Ensembles

The M HKA Ensembles represent our first steps towards initiating the public to today's art-related digital landscape. With the help of these new media, our aim is to offer our artworks a better and fuller array of support for their presentation and public understanding.