Orange Festival 1890 - 1892

Curator: It’s dim but definitely playful—almost feverish. Like fireflies trapped in a jar. Editor: That's a wonderful way to begin visualizing Jac van Looij’s, "Orange Festival," which he worked on from 1890 to 1892. Note how van Looij orchestrates these loose brushstrokes of oil paint, constructing this enchanting nocturnal tableau, steeped in reddish-orange hues and a flurry of indistinct figures. Curator: "Nocturnal" is right. It feels like a half-remembered dream, or one of those evenings when you know you're having fun but all the edges are fuzzy. The light…is it all lanterns? They feel so alive. Editor: Yes, it's a masterful play with light. The lanterns punctuate the darkness and act almost as characters themselves. Note the repetition of circular forms, the lanterns mirroring the figures and skirts, creating a dizzying and joyous atmosphere. Curator: Dizzying, definitely! Look at that figure raising a lantern overhead, pure gesture and movement. She could be a conductor or a magician… leading this dance of light. There’s a raw freedom in this kind of art. No stiffness allowed! Editor: Absolutely, the gesture carries great weight. We also see echoes of Impressionism in his rendering of light and form, a capturing of a fleeting moment, and in its vibrant strokes that articulate movement and feeling. But then a style from the late 19th century wouldn’t abandon capturing something ethereal through subjective viewpoints. Curator: I get a deep sense of how good it must have felt to BE there. It also strikes me: how hard it is to capture the feeling of freedom, or fleeting joy. He has distilled so many things into brushstrokes and colours. A really moving painting I think. Editor: Agreed. Van Looij allows us a unique peek into the collective memory and joyful expression during his era and even our own times. A very evocative expression.