Milkmaid, blacksmith and farmer (1957) Huib Noorlander

photo BKOR archive
About the artwork

This building was designed by municipal architect BM den Hollander and the Hoogvliet district secretariat used to be located here. Three round facing bricks have been installed in the middle of the north-east facade under seven vertical windows: Milkmaid, blacksmith and farmer, which respectively symbolize animal husbandry, industry and arable farming. Sculptor Huib Noorlander is the maker of the three medallions. They resemble a relief of musicians, which he made in 1954 for a school building in Brigantijnstraat. The figures are depicted in an Egyptian way; from the front, with the faces in profile. He uses the standing leg and playing leg of the figures in a somewhat unusual way. The three ornaments are arranged in a row, like a track over the building and have a decorative function. They show occupations that were considered exemplary of the labor force at the time of construction in the reconstruction period. On the other side of the building hangs the weapon 'Sterker door Strijd', also made by Noorlander.

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About the artist

Huib Noorlander (Schiebroek, 1928 - Nijmegen, 2004) was a figurative sculptor. In 1951 he founded the artist group together with Louis van Roode, Jan Burgerhout, Kees French, Jan Goedhart, Charles Kemper and Ed van Zanden Argus on. On the occasion of the 100 anniversary of the Holland America Line, he made a picture of it Cauldron Twinkle (1973). A replica of this has been in the Maritime Museum Rotterdam since 1998. A reduced version is awarded annually as a Ketelbinkie prize. Various images of Noorlander can be found in Rotterdam. Reading girl en The family were originally made of natural stone, but after being damaged a bronze cast was made of both statues. In the 1960s, Noorlander and artist Joeki Simak formed the most famous artist couple in Rotterdam.

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