La visite de Saint-Nicolas 1918

Editor: Here we have "La visite de Saint-Nicolas," or "The Visit of Saint Nicholas," a 1918 drawing by Léon Spilliaert. The wispy lines give it an ethereal, dreamlike quality. The composition feels a little off-kilter, intentionally, perhaps? What leaps out at you when you look at this piece? Curator: Oh, that intentional imbalance is where the magic lives! It’s like a skewed memory, not quite right, lending an air of haunting beauty. Spilliaert... he was a master of atmosphere, wasn't he? Imagine being a kid in Belgium back then. Did the anticipation of Saint Nicholas feel more joyous, or terrifying? Look at those raised arms of the child on the left--what is that gesture supposed to mean? Editor: Definitely a mixed bag of emotions. Joy and terror sound about right! And the kid’s got a slightly desperate wave going on there. It almost makes Saint Nick seem ominous. Curator: Precisely! Spilliaert always toyed with the darkness under the surface. Do you see how the looming forest backdrop dwarfs the village? It creates this sense of vulnerability, like civilization itself could be swallowed by the night. But also, the artist's medium. He used pencils or charcoals, tools that would give the figures their stark reality, without color or emotion. Is it, in essence, the human state stripped bare of all pretense? Editor: Wow, I hadn't thought of the forest that way, more like a protective backdrop. I get the artist’s darkness theme so much better now! Thanks! Curator: Anytime. Never underestimate the darkness. It teaches you a lot about where the light lives. And keeps the holidays real!