After the WWI, Gustave Van de Woestyne evolved towards Expressionism. He did not however subscribe to the dynamic approach to painting taken by most expressionists. Despite his distortions and simplifications, he retained his preference for a clear outline, a meticulous rendering of reality and a polished painting technique. As a result, his work from this period is related to Neo-realism and the Neue Sachlichkeit seen in Germany. His interest in mysticism, so characteristic of his symbolist period, was expressed in his later work in a number of paintings on explicitly religious themes, such as Christ in the Desert. Its composition is extremely frugal, being limited to just a few areas of colour. It is only the face and the hands that are shown in detail. The difference in colour and execution of the two hands is notable and accentuates their ritual gesture.
| Artist |
Gustave Van de Woestyne
RKD
VIAF
Wikidata
|
|---|---|
| Title | Christ in the Wilderness |
| Date | 1939 |
| Period | 20th century |
| Signatures, inscriptions, and markings | signature and year bottom right: Gve VAN DE WOESTYNE 1939 |
| Collection | paintings AAT |
| Object type | oil paintings (visual works) AAT |
| Inventory number | 1985-F |
| Acquisition credit |
long-term loan
Vlaamse Gemeenschap Brussels 1985 |
| Current whereabouts | Work on display |
| Permalink | https://mskgent.be/collection/work/data/1985-F |
| IIIF Manifest | https://imagehub.mskgent.be/iiif/3/3373/manifest.json |
| Art & Architecture Thesaurus | 300055874 religious symbolism AAT |
|---|---|
| Keywords Iconclass |
11D
Christ
Iconclass
11D3 Christ as adult Iconclass 11D334 adult Christ together with apostles, evangelists, saints, etc. Iconclass 22C light Iconclass 22C1 natural light Iconclass 22C8 shadow Iconclass 24A8 sunlight Iconclass 24A81 sunbeams Iconclass 25K16 desert Iconclass 25KK16 desert - KK - ideal landscapes Iconclass 31A231 standing figure Iconclass 31A25 postures and gestures of arms and hands Iconclass 31A252 postures and gestures of arms and hands in relation to each other Iconclass 31A25221 hands folded with fingers knit Iconclass 73 New Testament Iconclass 73C public life of Christ: from his baptism until the Passion Iconclass 73C2 story of the temptation of Christ in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13) Iconclass 73C91 Christ praying (in general), e.g.: in the wilderness Iconclass |
| School / Style | Modernist AAT |
| Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent : Catalogus schilderkunst ; Deel I: 14de - 18de eeuw ; Deel II: 19de - 20ste eeuw / Robert Hoozee, Johan De Smet, Bruno Fornari, Ruth Monteyne. - Gent : Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent, 2007 (dl. II, p. 367 (ill.)) |
| Gustave Van de Woestyne (tentoonstelling Gent, Museum voor Schone Kunsten, 27 maart - 27 juni 2010) / Robert Hoozee, Cathérine Verleysen, Piet Boyens, Marc Somers, Huguette Van de Woestyne-Vanagt. - Gent : Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent, 2010 ; Brussel : Mercatorfonds, 2010 (nr. 141) |
| Belgische schone : Ensor tot Magritte ; Hoogtepunten uit de verzameling van het Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent (tentoonstelling Laren, Singer Laren, 16.06 - 30.08.2015) / Johan De Smet, Jan Rudolph De Lorm. - Gent : Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent, 2015 ; Laren : Singer Laren, 2015 ; Heule : Uitgeverij Snoeck, 2015 (cat. 58 (ill. p. 81)) |
| Van de wereld : Beelden van beslotenheid en bevrijding (tentoonstelling Leuven-Heverlee, PARCUM- Abdij van Park, 25.10.2017 - 25.02.2018) / Liesbet Kusters, Kristina Anciaux, Wim Cuyvers, Alicja Melzacka, Emilio Giuseppe Platti, Evelyne Verheggen. - Leuven : Davidsfonds, 2017 ; Leuven : PARCUM, 2017 (p. 42-43, cat. 8) |
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