Jarik Jongman
Jarik Jongman About
Van Gogh AiR - Residency Period July 2024
During my preparation for the residency in Zundert, I came across Vincent's last work, ‘Tree Roots’ (1890). In a moment of pareidolia, I saw Vincent's face intertwined with the roots. This led to an association with the symbol of the ‘Green Man’.
A Green Man or satyr head is a mythological depiction of a face (sometimes a full figure) with branches and leaves as beard and hair. It is typically seen as a mascaron or relief on structures such as consoles, capitals, or keystones in vaults or arches, particularly in churches and other buildings. The oldest known appearance, in Lebanon and Iraq, dates back to the second century AD.
Often, the leaves of a Green Man are acanthus leaves, which are themselves a symbol of immortality and resurrection and have been used as a decorative motif in Greek art since 500 BC. The acanthus motif is widely used in architectural ornamentation, such as in Corinthian capitals, which were initially primarily used in funerary architecture. In Christianity, the thorny leaves represent pain, sin, and punishment. In Mediterranean countries, acanthus symbolizes immortality.
The Green Man is considered by some to be the archetype of our unity with nature, related to the phenomenon of death and rebirth, and to agrarian/vegetation myths, namely the cycle of nature's rebirth in spring.
Another recurring motif in the displayed work is ivy, literally growing from the figure in the installation titled ‘Lazarus’, and also in the painting ‘Pictor Mundi’, where, like with a Green Man, it sprouts from the facial openings. Ivy has long been associated with immortality and resurrection, connected to figures such as Osiris and Dionysus.
Vincent's deep love for nature and his religious beliefs are well-known. In 1890, he created the work ‘The Raising of Lazarus’ based on a sketch by Rembrandt, in which he painted himself as Lazarus. He compared Lazarus's two sisters to the two women who had supported him at the time and aided his recovery in Arles.
Drawing on this love for nature and his religious convictions, I further explored the associations with the Green Man and resurrection during my residency.