Artwork: Spelende Kinderen, 1970

Glazed ceramic, approx. 160 x 410 cm

Original description:
Two pale blue-grey birds dance in front of a hazy ochre yellow sun, depicting a summer sky. Next to and below them, we see three earth-brown rings. In the middle ring sits a child, leaning as if on a windowsill. With its right hand, it feeds a fish that appears at the bottom of the ring. In the other two rings, we see two children playfully climbing in and on the shapes. The figures of the birds, the fish, the sun, and the children are strongly simplified and stylized in such a way that they evoke the visual language of Egyptian hieroglyphs. With the rhythmic carving of lines in the clay or rings or other shapes pressed into it, the artist represents the texture of hair and clothing.

The playful whole breathes the atmosphere of a long, lazy day outdoors.

Jan van den Brink (Oosterhout 1919 – Etten-Leur 1993) started his career as an architectural draftsman at the Wederopbouw Boerderijen agency. He studied part-time at the Sint Joost Academy of Fine Arts in Breda. He taught drawing classes at various schools in Breda and Etten-Leur. He drew for magazines and illustrated the children’s books written by his wife Riet Schellekens about the little donkey Balkie.

As an artist, he regularly received commissions for murals and wall reliefs for schools and institutions.

The photos were taken by Jeroen van Eijndhoven.