On the corner of College Street beside The 'Recollettenkerk' stands this bronze statue of the famous priest-poet and writer, Anton Van Wilderode (Pseudonym CyrilCoupe, 1918-1998). As a teacher at The Recollettenkerk he exerted an influence to numerous generations of intellectuals on a global scale. As a translator of Virgil, the poet, writer, lecturer and an assistant to the Iron Pilgrimage and the local school radio he became an outstanding personality in the Dutch region.

The sculptor, Wilfried Pas, depicts the poet sitting at a desk. His expression is whimsical but retains a sharp glance in the direction of the market. In his left hand he holds his inseparable cigar. Anton van Wilderode has a very distinctive presence, not as a heroic figure in Flemish literature but as an intelligent and sensitive man. Anton Van Wilderode died whilst this sculpture was being made; the artist met the writer once during his last year of his life so for further production of the representation he worked solely on photographs.

Wilfried Pas uses a distinctive style which was somewhat revolutionary in Belgium at the time. By making use of the silicone mold he could manage the control of form a lot easier. The resulting image appears to be a sketch in clay, so much so that one almost forgets that this lifelike portrait is actually cast in bronze. The figure rests on a kind of rough rock formation, emerging from it like a Rodin or Michelangelo. This rather classical performance or motif gets a surprisingly modern allure. The contract between raw and finishedleads to the work being very expressive and recognizable.

This object is part of "Scan The World". Scan the World is a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory, through which we are creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks and landmarks from across the globe for the public to access for free. Scan the World is an open source, community effort, if you have interesting items around you and would like to contribute, email stw@myminifactory.com to find out how you can help.

Scanned : Photogrammetry (Processed using Agisoft PhotoScan)