‘Dialogue’, Thorbecke School, Leiden, 1965-1968
‘The theme of the sculpture 'Dialogue' links up with a trend that revived again in the 1950s to make art accessible to all people.
‘Listening and looking’ - Frans de Wit.
In his graduation year, 1965, De Wit receives his first major commission to create a sculpture for the new building of the Thorbecke School (corner of Churchill-lane and the 5 May Lane) in Leiden.
‘Dialogue’ reflects the skills children practice at school that make cooperation possible. It shows four human figures seated in a circle around a trunk. They are abstracted and indicate a meeting that allows interpretation. Because the statue is not standing on a pedestal, passersby can peak into the inner circle of the human figures. That way ‘Dialogue’ makes a more direct connection to the spectator and its surroundings.
With this first commission De Wit defines his work methodology. ‘The place’ is his source of inspiration. Here you can find details or meanings, when working on a subject. Later on he also describes the intense looking process that is part of his way of work. He invents the word combination ‘luisterend kijken’ [listen-looking, listening with your eyes, intensified looking] to describe it and it can be seen as his motto thru out his career.
The sculpture ‘Dialogue’ was created in the studio-houseboat nicknamed ‘Snow White’ because of the many windows that supported the superstructure. June 2023, the houseboat was permanently moored at the ‘Sculpture Garden Frans de Wit’ in the Ankerpark, Leiden.