TMAS 06 Enlightened citizen School

It gave me some more work this time, but I think it turned out beautifully. The Dutch-Flemish reading shelf is clearly an important element in this book, I thought.

Aap, noot, mies… (monkey, nut, mies…) I started reading like that and there were also books with the animals in the ditch. When do you ever hear or read this word today? I was immediately captivated by those pictures, and then by the writing itself.

Monkey and Leo II, that’s an easy one, of course. On Leo’s coat are the flags of Belgium and the Free State of Congo. He’s now described as the devil on earth. I don’t know exactly when this started, but you often find him with this title these days. So I’ve already put him over the fire. I didn’t draw the original barrel on the shelf, but a boiler from a steam engine, nineteenth-century oblige. It could also have been a steam train, as that’s an important development factor for our little country. But the steam boiler seemed more menacing to me. Next to it was Mies (the name of the cat) on the reading shelf; I changed her into Wiel, a wheel with rubber tires. You can see the rubber tapping on Leo himself.

To the left of hell, because that’s where he belonged according to many people, is Darwin. Above him is the monkey; I don’t need to explain this connection. I did draw chaffinches next to him, because these were indeed a starting point for his book about origins. To the right of hell, another person drawn who, according to many, belonged there. Marx with a piggy accumulating capital. Darwin and Marx are thus the metamorphosed Teun and Gijs of that reading shelf.

MAS 06 Verlichtte burger school

Het was een beetje meer werk deze keer, maar het is, denk ik toch, een mooie kaft geworden. Het Nederlands-Vlaams leesplankje is duidelijk een belangrijk element in dit boek vond ik.

Aap noot mies… ik ben zelf zo begonnen met lezen en er hoorden ook boekjes bij, met de dieren in de sloot. Wanneer hoor of lees je dit woord nog eens. Ik was toen meteen verkocht door die plaatjes en dan meteen ook door het schrijven.

Aap en Leo II, da’s een makkelijke natuurlijk. Op de jas van Leo(pold) staan de vlaggen van België en vrijstaat Congo. Hij wordt nu beschreven als de duivel op aarde. Ik weet niet wanneer dit precies begonnen is, maar je vindt nu vaak deze betiteling van hem. Dus heb ik hem alvast boven het vuur gezet. Ik heb niet de ton van de plank getekend, maar een boiler van een stoommachine, negentiende eeuw oblige. Het had ook stoomtrein kunnen zijn want dat is voor ons landje een belangrijke ontwikkelingsfactor. Maar de stoomboiler leek mij dreigender. Ernaast stond Mies stond op het plankje, ik heb haar veranderd in een wiel met rubberbanden. Bij Leo zelf kun je het rubbertappen zien.

Links van de hel, want daar hoorde hij voor veel mensen in thuis, staat Darwin. Boven hem de aap, deze connectie moet ik ook niet uitleggen. Ik heb wel vinkjes bij hem getekend, want deze zijn wel een aanleiding geweest voor zijn origin boek. Rechts van de hel, nog één iemand getekend die daar volgens velen hoorde. Marx met een varkentje dat kapitaal aan het verzamelen is. Darwin en Marx zijn dus de gemetamorfoseerde Teun en Gijs van die leesplank.

SMA 06 A Escola dos burgueses iluminados

Esta capa deu-me mais trabalho, mas acho que ficou linda. A prancha de leitura neerlandesa-flamenga é claramente um elemento importante neste livro, pensei.

Aap, noot, mies… (macaco, noz, mies…) Comecei a ler com essas palavras e também havia livros com os animais na vala. Quando é que ainda se ouve falar dos pequenos animais aquáticos na vale, hoje? Fiquei imediatamente cativado por aquelas imagens e, depois, pela própria escrita.

Macaco e Leo II, essa é fácil, claro. No casaco de Leo estão as bandeiras da Bélgica e do Estado Livre do Congo. Ele agora é descrito como o diabo na terra. Não sei exatamente quando isso começou, mas é comum encontrá-lo com esse título hoje em dia. Então, eu já o coloquei na fogueira. Não desenhei o barril original da prancha, mas uma caldeira de uma máquina a vapor, obrigatória do século XIX. Também poderia ter sido um comboio a vapor, já que esse foi um factor importante de desenvolvimento no nosso pequeno país. Mas a caldeira a vapor pareceu-me mais ameaçadora. Ao lado dela estava Mies (o nome do gato) na prancha de leitura; eu transformei-o em Wiel, uma roda com pneus de borracha. Dá para ver a colheita da borracha por trás do próprio Leo.

À esquerda do inferno, porque era para lá que ele deveria ir na opinião de muitas pessoas, está Darwin. Acima dele está o macaco; não preciso explicar essa conexão. Desenhei tentilhões ao lado dele, porque estes foram de facto um ponto de partida para seu livro sobre as origens. À direita do inferno, desenhei outra pessoa para onde muitos o desejavam. Marx com um porquinho mealheiro acumulando capital. Darwin e Marx são, portanto, os Teun e Gijs metamorfoseados daquela prancha de leitura.