Egyptian Triptych 2
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| Egyptian Triptych | |
|---|---|
| Artist | Jean Thomassen |
| Year | 1995 |
| Dimensions | 170 cm × 520 cm (67 in × 200 in) |
| Condition | Destroyed by fire 2005 |
Egyptian Triptych is a painting by Dutch artist Jean Thomassen (born 5 September 1949), whose unusual and unpredictable paintings have made him an international leader in the genre of 'absurd realism'.[1][better source needed][2][better source needed][3] He lives in Heiloo in the Netherlands.
Thomassen's interest in ancient Egypt dates back to his earliest memories and in later life inspired a number of typically imaginative paintings. As a small child, he remembered a mysterious cupboard containing old colour picture cards of King Tutankhamen. Later, the family moved to a house near a shop selling Egyptian antiquities, further stimulating his deep interest in ancient Egypt[4].
The painting is of a type known as a triptych, with a central panel and wings on either side. Painted in 1995, Egyptian Triptych was Thomassen's largest-ever painting at that time. It was destroyed in 2005 in a disastrous fire[5].
Centre panel[edit]
In the centre background, a pyramid immediately sets the scene in ancient Egypt, together with lop-sided temple pylons and bent obelisks. Ancient columns carry paintings of Egyptian deities and a group of mummified cats is shown at their foot in black-top pottery jars. The bird on top of one of the columns is the Ibis of Thoth, the ancient Egyptian god associated with divine knowledge and writing.
Numerous matches are strewn incongruously at the bottom left of the painting and the heads of further matches appear on a dam in the centre in front of which is a partially submerged blue faience hippopotamus covered in Nilotic plants. The plinth in the distance carries a scarab beetle, the symbol of renewal and rebirth[4].
Left wing[edit]
The beautifully painted figure in the foreground is one of two in Egyptian Triptych that uses the body of Thomassen's muse and partner Ine Veen (the other can be seen in the right wing of the painting). The small bronze cat on a plinth behind her represents the goddess Bastet who was associated with protection, pleasure and the bringer of good health.
A number of shabtis - figurines placed in the tombs of the ancient Egyptians to work for the deceased in the afterlife - lie scattered on the ground. The adjacent shabti box carries an inscription showing the shabtis contained within were for the God's Wife of Amen, Maat-ka-Re. Behind the bronze cat is a sistrum, an ancient Egyptian percussion instrument that produced a soothing sound when shaken that was supposed to appease the gods.
The figure at the top is the ancient Egyptian goddess Isis, curiously shown with two normal arms and two further arms as wings. Isis is also shown on the column on the extreme left. The inscriptions on this column are strangely inverted.
The figure at the top is the ancient Egyptian goddess Isis, curiously shown with two normal arms and two further arms as wings. Isis is also shown on the column on the extreme left. The inscriptions on this column are strangely inverted[4].
Right wing[edit]
The capitals of the columns in the background are actually inverted, and all carry the staring eyes so characteristic of Jean Thomassen's paintings. Various heads shown on the pillars include depictions of the god Osiris, Egyptian Lord of the Underworld and Judge of the Dead, and his wife Isis. A large human-headed sphinx sits on a long plinth that is covered with various graffiti, cartouches and hieroglyphs, in front of which is the Rosetta Stone.
At the foot of the painting is a curious subterranean chamber carrying the misspelled sign 'Cliopatra's Shop' containing figures with peering eyes.
The female figure on the right of the panel, perhaps representing a queen, has very dark skin, suggesting that she might be Nubian[4].
References[edit]
- ↑ Van Hulst, Gerard (1995). The Absurd Reality of Jean Thomassen (in Dutch). Amsterdam: Van Soeren & Co. ISBN 9068810553.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link) Search this book on
- ↑ Thomassen, Jean (1998). Old Masters of Tomorrow: The Daan Enneking Collection (Oude meesters van morgen: De Daan Enneking Collectie) (in Dutch). ISBN 9068811045.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link) Search this book on
- ↑ Habata, Prof. Gerhard (2013). Lexikon der phantastischen Künstler (in German) (2nd ed.). Vienna: Palais Palffy. ISBN 9783848263073.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link) Search this book on
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Janes, Glenn (2019). Absurd Realism. England: U2pi. ISBN 9789087598419. Search this book on
- ↑ Kunstcollectie in vlammen op (2 December 2008). "De Telegraaf".
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