vanSVane – Acrylic on canvas 50×70 – Portugal 2022

Our youngest son Atlas was born on 11-05-2020 in the house of my mother. Our own home at that time was a caravan on a campsite in Hilversum. We looked very much forward to go there after the birth.

On the night of 12-05-2020, the day after Atlas was born, we received a phone call from the police, they told us that this home was on fire.

The next morning I went to the campsite. There was really noting left of our caravan and all our belongings. Walking around over this black crust I found only one thing that had survived the fire, a children-book, a very colorful version of the bible.

vanSVane – Acrylic on canvas 50×70 – Spain 2021

The ‘Danse Macabre’ has been a classical topic for artists at least since the Dark-Ages in Europe. We painted our version of the Danse Macabre during recent corona times. We could feel the fear of being mortal (or getting sick) more then ever in the world around us. Making this painting was a way for us to express what we felt and noticed during this time, but also our ‘answer’ to our own fears.

The Danse Macabre celebrates death as a part of life. It shows that we can and maybe even should dance with death to really live.