{"id":1435,"date":"2025-06-21T13:03:15","date_gmt":"2025-06-21T13:03:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.florisjespers.com\/?page_id=1435"},"modified":"2025-06-28T11:35:19","modified_gmt":"2025-06-28T11:35:19","slug":"03-00-01-de-boodschap","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.florisjespers.com\/en\/03-00-01-de-boodschap\/","title":{"rendered":"03-00-01 De Boodschap"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>L\u2019Annonciation (The Annunciation)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:23px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.florisjespers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/jespers_260-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-873 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.florisjespers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/jespers_260-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/www.florisjespers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/jespers_260-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/www.florisjespers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/jespers_260-768x961.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.florisjespers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/jespers_260-1228x1536.jpg 1228w, https:\/\/www.florisjespers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/jespers_260.jpg 1279w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 819px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 819\/1024;\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:23px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Work<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Title<\/strong>: L\u2019Annonciation (The Annunciation)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Artist<\/strong>: Floris Jespers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Date<\/strong>: 1938-1940 (signed l.r. 1940)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Technique<\/strong>: Oil on canvas<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Dimensions<\/strong>: 210 x 190 cm<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>In Essence<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em>&#8220;<strong>The Annunciation<\/strong>&#8220;<\/em>, considered by Floris Jespers himself as his <strong>most important work<\/strong>, is one of the most layered masterpieces in Belgian art. Jespers consciously enters into a dialogue with the 500-year-old tradition of the <strong>Flemish Primitives<\/strong>, but gives it a <strong>radically modern and personal twist<\/strong>. It is not only a painting <em>of<\/em> the Annunciation, but a profound reflection <em><strong>on the act of painting itself<\/strong><\/em>, and it forms <strong>the indispensable key<\/strong> to his entire oeuvre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>A Deeper Look<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Dialogue with the Masters: The Flemish Primitives Revisited<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The core of this work is a technique as old as Flemish painting itself: the <strong>sacred story is lifted from its historical context and placed in one's own, recognisable world<\/strong>. Just as <strong>Jan van Eyck<\/strong> situated the Annunciation in a 15th-century interior, Jespers places it in a poor, contemporary Flemish stable. The angel is a village girl in bare feet, Mary a pensive, stilled woman. The intention, however, is fundamentally different. Where the Primitives sought devotional realism, Jespers seeks <strong>expressionistic expression<\/strong> and <strong>modernist self-reflection<\/strong>The ultimate proof of this is the prominently depicted <strong>painter's easel<\/strong>. Jespers shows us not only the scene, but also the artist creating it, thus posing the question of how a modern painter can relate to the great, centuries-old tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Web of Symbols: Old and New Covenant<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Within this modernist framework, Jespers weaves a rich tapestry of profound symbolism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The sheep the angel brings are a direct reference to the <strong>Lamb of God (Agnus Dei)<\/strong>, a foreshadowing of the sacrifice of Christ.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>On the easel, an oak tree is painted, a reference to the <strong>Oak of Mamre<\/strong>, the site of the first covenant between God and man in the Old Testament.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The <strong>foot of Mary<\/strong>, which she consciously places in the <strong>divine light<\/strong> in the foreground, symbolises her active \"yes\" to the message, and the start of the New Covenant.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Turning Point: A Bridge to the Future<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\"L'Annonciation\"<\/em> is more than a masterpiece, it is the <strong>indispensable link<\/strong> that <strong>connects Jespers' early and late work<\/strong>. His famous <strong>Congolese period<\/strong> was not a radical break, but the <strong>logical continuation<\/strong> of the search <strong>that began here.<\/strong>The focus on an '<strong>earthly spirituality<\/strong>', the '<strong>primitive' aesthetic,<\/strong> and the <strong>stylised, monumental figures<\/strong> are precisely the elements he would perfect in Africa in a new, powerful visual language. This work proves that Jespers' quest for the <strong>'essential' and authentic<\/strong> was already fully developed in the <strong>Flemish clay<\/strong>, long before his journeys to the south. The presence of this painting at the '<strong>Kongo - Knokke<\/strong>' exhibition (2015) objectively confirms this crucial <strong>bridging function<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>An Acclaimed Masterpiece<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Major Exhibitions<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>1942: Kunstverbond, Antwerp<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1966: Galerie Campo, Antwerp<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1967: Provincial Beguinage, Hasselt<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1989: Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1990: Singer Museum, Laren (The Netherlands)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1990: Castle of Gaasbeek, Gaasbeek<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2004: PMMK (Mu.ZEE), Ostend<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2015: CC Scharpoord, Knokke-Heist<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Published in<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Burssens, G. (1943). <em>Floris Jespers<\/em>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Jespers, H.F., et al. (1966) <em>Floris Jespers<\/em>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Retrospective Floris Jespers (1967).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Buyck, J., &amp; Schoeters, G. (1989). <em>Floris Jespers, Retrospective exhibition.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Buyck, J. (2004). <em>Floris Jespers<\/em>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Vanwijnsberghe, S. (2015). <em>Floris Jespers Afrikanist: Kongo-Knocke<\/em>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:24px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.florisjespers.com\/en\/?page_id=1491\">Saint Francis<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-a89b3969 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.florisjespers.com\/en\/?page_id=165\/#De-Congolese-Periode\">The Congolese Period<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-right is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-d445cf74 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-text-align-center wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.florisjespers.com\/en\/?page_id=165\">Jespers' Life<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.florisjespers.com\/en\/?page_id=1036\">Discover why the dialogue between 'The Annunciation' and the rest of the oeuvre is unique and must not be lost.<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-right is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-d445cf74 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.florisjespers.com\/en\/?page_id=1030\">Back to Masterpieces<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>L&#8217;Annonciation (De Boodschap) Het werk In Essentie &#8220;De Boodschap&#8220;, door Floris Jespers zelf beschouwd als zijn allerbelangrijkste werk, is een van de meest gelaagde meesterwerken uit de Belgische kunst. Jespers treedt hier bewust in dialoog met de 500 jaar oude traditie van de Vlaamse Primitieven, maar geeft er een radicaal moderne en persoonlijke wending aan. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1435","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.florisjespers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1435","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.florisjespers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.florisjespers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.florisjespers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.florisjespers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1435"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.florisjespers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1435\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1690,"href":"https:\/\/www.florisjespers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1435\/revisions\/1690"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.florisjespers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1435"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}