PHOTŒIL
In this book I take you into the world of Jean-Baptiste Wynantz.
He was a soldier in the army of Dutch king Willem I during the occupation of Belgium by the Dutchmen from 1815 (the fall of Napoleon in Waterloo) till 1830 (the independence of Belgium).
Weynants was stationed in the city of Gent, where he maintained a mistress. In order to pay for her, he had to generate an extra income.
That's why he started to paint (watercolor) a series of views of Gent and sell these. That little business ran well and he made some 134 different watercolors.
I was commissioned by the Gent City Archive to make photographs of the very same locations and views for a book project.
They gave me the reproductions of 74 selected watercolors and a city map on which by approximation the views were marked, and about a month time to do the job.
So, I went off on exploration, using as the main points of reference the still existing towers, the rivers and canals, streets, squares and the ancient buildings.
KLEURRIJK: WYNANTZ & GENT
