The Hague now has its second Mauritshuis Mural! Inspired by Peter Paul Rubens’ Old Woman and Boy with Candles (1616-1617) from the Mauritshuis collection, Julien de Casabianca has created a mural on the Vrederustlaan in the Bouwlust en Vrederust neighbourhood (across the street from the Shalom Church).
''You hardly ever see the beauty of old people depicted in street art, or in public spaces, in any form. This artwork can be seen as a tribute to the universal values of family.”
Julien de Casabianca
Visual artist and filmmaker Julien (age 50) has French and Corsican roots. His work always has something to do with street life. Some eight years ago he launched his Outings Project, in which he metaphorically takes paintings out of the museum and onto the street, in order to make art accessible to all, all the time.
De Casabianca receives invitations from museums all over the world wishing to send their art into the outside world, from America to Switzerland and Brussels – and now, of course, the Netherlands. Julien typically makes paste-ups, creating art on paper which is then pasted onto a wall using his own secret-recipe adhesive. This allows him to share his work and his message with the world directly and in great detail, and the resulting artworks last for ten years.
Peter Paul Rubens
Julien took his inspiration from a painting by Peter Paul Rubens, Old Woman and Boy with Candles (1616-1617). He was immediately struck by the painting, and instantly knew what he wanted to do with it. ''You hardly ever see the beauty of old people depicted in street art, or in public spaces, in any form. This artwork can be seen as a tribute to the universal values of family.” His 75m2 mural was completed in two days, and was unveiled at a ceremony with local residents.
Peter Paul Rubens’ painting depicts an old woman looking into the middle distance as she protects a candle flame with her hand. A boy behind her attempts to light his candle from hers. Rubens was inspired by Caravaggio and his enthralling light-and-dark effects, which also provided inspiration for Julien’s design.
Street art with a difference
Although street art looks best during the day Julien's work is slightly different. His art is even more beautiful after the sun has set. He has installed a solar-powered waterproof lamp that shines directly on the burning candle, making it seem as if the woman’s candle is lighting the entire mural.
How does de Casabianca set about creating his work? In this case, he took a photograph of the old woman and boy in Rubens’ painting and removed the background. He then printed the figures on paper. To him, this paste-up is like a tribute honouring universal family values.
