Permeke schilderend te Sint-Martens-Latem in april 1912 1912

Curator: The piece before us, rendered in pastel on paper, is Léan Spilliaert's "Permeke schilderend te Sint-Martens-Latem in april 1912." Editor: It's gentle, almost shy, isn’t it? Like a whispered secret of a spring morning. There’s a hazy light about it, a certain innocence… Curator: Indeed. Spilliaert, a Belgian symbolist, here captures another artist, Constant Permeke, en plein air, painting outdoors in the artistic community of Sint-Martens-Latem. It's a snapshot of a specific time and place within the Belgian art world. Editor: I love how the landscape seems to dissolve around Permeke. He’s grounded, of course, rooted even, but the scene itself feels more like a fleeting memory. What do you think he was painting? It's just a little square, isn’t it? Curator: One can only speculate, but what’s more interesting is Spilliaert’s choice to focus not on Permeke's art, but on the act of creation itself. It's also quite unusual for him, as Spilliaert typically portrays a dark, more symbolic subject matter. Here, though, he shows a contemporary working among his peers in Latem, portraying the area's idyllic qualities. Editor: True. And it’s not just that, but how *soft* it is, you know? Those pastel shades, like a dream half-remembered…and those tall spindly stalks near us, that ground the perspective; you’re right there with him, just you, him and the easel! Curator: The choice of pastel as a medium lends itself to that effect; It contributes to a lighter, more transient feeling than oils or even watercolors might achieve. Editor: Makes you wonder, doesn't it, about the conversations, the artistic tensions, or shared laughter among those artists at the time? Or maybe just a beautiful tranquil peace between fellow travelers, side by side. Curator: It makes the study of this drawing richer and opens questions of how art evolves as the artist develops his individual perceptions in tandem. Editor: Indeed. All art in its own moment…Well, that was another fleeting treat wasn’t it!