In the grass near metro station Graskruis lies a giant with a deer on his belly. It is made of the stone type Dolomite and it weighs 3.000 kilos. The head of the deer was originally made of bronze but was stolen in 2008, after which artist Jeroen Melkert replaced it with a stone head, only the antlers are still made of bronze. The image should evoke feelings of a fairy tale in children and people. The artist's inspiration came from a dream in which a deer calmly looked at him during a walk in the woods and walked away without being frightened. Melkert was so moved by this that he dreamed again about a giant sleeping in the woods with a deer on his stomach. Melkert was commissioned to create the sculpture Deer on the giant from the Orthopedagogical Center Maasstad (now Stichting Pameijer).
In the eighties Jeroen Melkert (Amersfoort, 1963) studied at the art academy in Arnhem. He became interested in performances, sculpture and combinations between them. Thanks to a grant from the BKVB Fund, he started developing large sculptures from the XNUMXs. His work has been shown in a number of exhibitions in Arnhem, now he has a studio in France.
Sculpture of a reclining human form with a deer on its stomach
Materials
Bluestone (Dolomite), bronze
Dimensions
350 x 180 x 150 cm
Year
1998
Client
Orthopedic center Maasstad (now Pameijer Fioringras)
Recruitment
Orthopedic center Maasstad
Money source
Orthopedic center Maasstad, Mondriaan Foundation
Owner
Pameijer Foundation
About the artwork
In the grass near metro station Graskruis lies a giant with a deer on his belly. It is made of the stone type Dolomite and it weighs 3.000 kilos. The head of the deer was originally made of bronze but was stolen in 2008, after which artist Jeroen Melkert replaced it with a stone head, only the antlers are still made of bronze. The image should evoke feelings of a fairy tale in children and people. The artist's inspiration came from a dream in which a deer calmly looked at him during a walk in the woods and walked away without being frightened. Melkert was so moved by this that he dreamed again about a giant sleeping in the woods with a deer on his stomach. Melkert was commissioned to create the sculpture Deer on the giant from the Orthopedagogical Center Maasstad (now Stichting Pameijer).
In the eighties Jeroen Melkert (Amersfoort, 1963) studied at the art academy in Arnhem. He became interested in performances, sculpture and combinations between them. Thanks to a grant from the BKVB Fund, he started developing large sculptures from the XNUMXs. His work has been shown in a number of exhibitions in Arnhem, now he has a studio in France.
