The Dike

Between 1907 and 1910, the sea and the world around it were the ultimate source of inspiration for Léon Spilliaert. He observed the natural element, unchanging yet always in motion, during solitary, often nocturnal walks. He tirelessly allowed the sea and the beach to undergo transformations that reflected his changing moods and led their own inner life. In The Dike, Spilliaert introduced a strict division of the surface into successive zones. In this way, he leads the eye along a diagonal to the depths of the horizon and, following that line, to infinity. The contribution of a log cabin as the only sign of human presence and the scansion of visual rhythms enliven a composition that is a priori static. With the black mass in the foreground ending abruptly at a cut-off corner, the same cut-off corresponds to the end of the dyke. The dark and light planes harmonize, as do the straight and curved lines. These converge in one point, while in the distance the light halo of the fire beacons refers again to the presence of man. Spilliaert has more than once treated the theme of the dike in direct confrontation with the sea. This version surprises by its unusual format: the work is almost twice as large as the other known interpretations of the subject. 

We present today's work thanks to the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium in Brussels.

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