Picturesque Sketches: after Léon Becker
Nils Norman
The concrete bridge at the Hoogzij connects the Heem Park with the nature reserve Kattevennen, but also brusquely interrupts this green area. British artist Nils Norman has painted the concrete walls with a collage of pictures that are inspired by the illustrations of the landscape painter and arachnologist Léon Becker (1826-1909). In the 19th century, Becker visited Genk and published a standard work on spiders. Norman’s painting refers to the surrounding nature and the importance of ecological balance. In it likewise a critique of the closing of the Ford factory and its social impact.