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Carel Willink
Mystère d’une ville, 1931
In 1931, Carel Willink (1900-1983) made this painting of a bouquet in front of an open window, looking out to the street behind. It is likely to be a reference to Willink’s split from Mies van der Meulen (1900-1988), his first wife. Her official name was Maria. The couple married in 1926, but Mies l
...
eft him two years later after falling in love with the author Rein Blijstra (1901-1975), a friend who lived with them for a while.
The colour blue and the lilies traditionally signify the Biblical Maria. Willink had already used roses in earlier paintings to reference his ex-wife. Asters, to the right of the bouquet, are considered messengers of doom. The identity of the man with his back turned towards us in the middle of the picture is unclear: is it Mies’ new lover, or perhaps Willink himself, turning his back on a difficult period in his life?
Artist
Carel Willink
Title
Mystère d’une ville
Year
1931
Technique
Oil on canvas
Size
100 x 80 cm (h x w)
Type of object
Painting
Copyright
© Pictoright/Sylvia Willink
This work is protected by copyright. You need permission from the creator or his heir to download, edit, copy or publish it.
