The Friesian horse, the Drenthe Heath and the Barnevelder: when hearing these names, big chance they sound familiar to you! Even these animals belong to the category of Old Dutch Breeds. Some of them are widely popular, others are almost no where to be seen anymore.
In the first part of Old Dutch breeds, you can read a small part of history about Old Dutch animals and why they are still important today. Here, I will tell you how the concept Dominique Laurine will give these beautiful creatures a ‘second life’...
Old Dutch breeds: the modern versions
I’m not a super farmer with thousands of acres to provide a wonderful home for all kinds of Old Dutch breeds. So, what is the plan here? Farm animals have always been favourites for the interior. It’s my ‘mission’ to paint these specific creatures, so they can be absolute eyecatchers on your wall. Not because I’ve painted them, but because they are so extraordinary by themselves!
What I find very interesting, is the decorative character of these animals, such as rich spotted coats, like the Witrik cow, or the royal appearance of the Friesian horse. The Blaarkop on the other hand has some characteristic spots around the eyes. Many times, people compare them to the Chinese giant panda bear.
Where this one lives in the bamboo forests of China, our Dutch type ‘just’ walks in the polders!
Natural vs. Delft blue
Most animal prints of Dominique Laurine are painted in a natural way to show the beauty of special coats or colours. To make it ‘typical Dutch’, the Old Dutch breeds will also be painted in Delft blue. It’s modern, but cultural-historical at the same time: Delft blue is, even after all those centuries, still a timeless style...
Living history
‘Back to then’ is not possible anymore. But, ‘not forgetting them’, that's a realistic goal! Because of the cultural value of these animals, such as their presence in Old Dutch landscape paintings, they absolutely deserve a modern ‘restart’.
Keeping Dutch history alive and preserving cultural heritage, especially in a world where authenticity has almost disappeared: that’s how you could define the modern animal prints of Old Dutch breeds from Dominique Laurine.
And, most of all: that all the hard work of earlier, determined farmers, who didn’t want these breeds to extinct completely, is still to be seen today…