After all the sadness of yesterday’s Leper House I want to show you another aspect of the square in front of this building.
One of its features is this monument for the 17th century painter Albert Cuyp, who was born in Dordrecht and lived here till his death in 1691. The city wanted to honour his memory, but the artist who had been commissioned with the assignment was facing a problem: there was no reliable portrait of the painter.
So Maria Roosen decided to create a contemporary work of art that incorporated elements of Cuyp’s pictures. The stainless steel globes in the shape of a man reflect the light and the clouds which made the painter famous, as well as the cityscape of Dordrecht, his hometown.
The white house with the red sunshade in the middle of the balls houses the distillery of Rutte that was founded in 1872. The spirits are produced in a traditional way applying natural ingredients and following the same family recipe as in the 19th century. A tour through the premises shows you the instruments and all the bottles and things that have been used in the production of the drinks for years and years. The company ships their spirits all over the world.
If you look closely, you see a small red figure on every ball: that’s me!
The Photographer Smiled... 